Reggie Wayne Wants To Play In 2015
Reggie Wayne has put together a Hall of Fame case since being drafted by the Colts in 2001, currently ranking sixth all time in career receptions and eighth in receiving yards. Playing his whole career with the team, Wayne announced during the season that he hoped to retire with the Colts, but as the offseason progresses that seems less likely.
Colts general manager Ryan Grigson announced that the team would not be re-signing their star receiver, although Wayne wanted to play one more season with the team, according to Mike Wells of ESPN.
Wayne will not be retiring just yet, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that he is currently open to playing one more season for another contender (via Twitter).
His 2014 season was marred by a triceps injury, after returning from a torn ACL in 2013. Both injuries have already been addressed this offseason, and will complicate his market in free agency, writes Stephen Holder of IndyStar.com.
AFC Notes: Revis, Cole, Knighton, Bills
As the clock continues ticking toward the start of NFL free agency on March 10, a resolution between the Patriots and star cornerback Darrelle Revis draws nearer. Although Revis is signed through next season, his cap number is an unpalatable $25MM. Both that and Revis’ $20MM salary become guaranteed Tuesday if the Patriots don’t take action by then, which – worst-case scenario – would mean releasing the six-time Pro Bowler and four-time First-Team All-Pro.
The two sides are expected to engage in negotiations for a long-term contract before the deadline, but a source informed Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that those discussions haven’t yet begun. Revis and his camp will enter negotiations cognizant of what he’d receive as a free agent on the open market, Florio opined, also speculating that the 29-year-old might take less on a long-term deal to remain with the reigning Super Bowl champions. Per Florio, Revis “wouldn’t like it” if New England were to keep him in 2015 on his current contract, but he’d forgo a holdout, suit up for the Pats and become a free agent in 2016.
Elsewhere around the AFC. . .
- Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia reports that free agent pass rusher Trent Cole will visit with a pair of AFC teams in the coming days, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. On the heels of meeting with the Buccaneers on Friday, the 32-year-old will powwow with the Browns on Sunday and the Colts on Monday. The Eagles released Cole on Wednesday after he spent the first 10 years of his career with them. Cole finished 2014 with 6.5 sacks, giving him 85.5 for his career, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him a respectable 19th out of 46 qualifying 3-4 outside linebackers.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes there are “growing indications” that Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton will be in another uniform next season. The free agent-to-be could end up with a deal worth anywhere from $7MM to $10MM annually, per Renck, and that might be out of Denver’s price range. The six-year veteran was an integral part of a Broncos team that had the league’s second-best run defense in 2014, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Knighton 12th among 81 qualifying D-tackles last season.
- In lesser news, ESPN’s Mike Rodak tweeted Friday that the Bills will not tender an offer to restricted free agent Chris Hairston. The four-year veteran offensive tackle dressed for all 16 Bills games last season and has 15 career starts, though none since 2012.
AFC FA Rumors: Hawk, Cole, Hartline, Chiefs
After rounding up several free agent rumors from around the NFC earlier this afternoon, it’s time for a look at the AFC. Here’s the latest:
- Former Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk is set to visit with the Bengals next week, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com (via Twitter). Cincinnati re-signed linebacker Rey Maualuga this week, but with Vontaze Burfict‘s recovery timetable still uncertain following microfracture surgery, the team could use some more depth at the position.
- Assuming Trent Cole leaves Tampa Bay without a deal from the Buccaneers, he’ll head to Indianapolis next week to meet with the Colts, reports Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). Like the 49ers, who also have interest in Cole, the Colts are a 3-4 team, so it’ll be interesting to see if the veteran edge defender views the club as a good fit.
- According to Jason Walker of ESPN.com (via Twitter), agent Drew Rosenhaus said today that the Chiefs are in the mix for wide receiver Brian Hartline, adding them to a group of suitors that includes the Dolphins, Browns, and Texans. Meanwhile, the Browns have about a “50/50” chance of landing Hartline, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, who says Cleveland could balk at the wideout’s asking price.
- We can also add the Chiefs to the list of teams interested in free agency safety Tyvon Branch, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Kansas City is on Branch’s list of scheduled meetings, following his visit to Washington.
- The Jaguars are expected to have a look at fullback Jerome Felton once free agency begins, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The team decided not to tender a contract offer to restricted free agent fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou, and could be on the lookout for a replacement.
Colts Won’t Re-Sign Reggie Wayne
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.
“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
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
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
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
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
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
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.