- “The Ted Wells report most likely saved the Dolphins a lot of money when it comes to Mike Pouncey,” says ESPN.com’s James Walker. Pouncey is a 24-year-old Pro Bowler, but his part in the bullying of Jonathan Martin “is reason enough to deny Pouncey a long-term extension,” according to Walker, who believes rewarding Pouncey would send a bad message.
- The Chiefs will not have to release any players for cap purposes, believes ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher, who also says the team must retain two of the three starting offensive linemen scheduled to hit free agency: Branden Albert, Jon Asamoah and Geoff Schwartz. Says Teicher: “[The Chiefs] might be able to get Schwartz and Asamoah for what they could pay Albert. That’s what makes the most sense. But I know Schwartz wants to be a starter (and get paid like one). I don’t blame him. He won’t come back for a backup job or backup money unless he can’t get better somewhere else. That’s true for Asamoah, too. So the Chiefs may be forced to choose between Schwartz and Asamoah and look elsewhere for their backups.”
- Colts center Samson Satele did not get a ringing endorsement from GM Ryan Grigson, says ESPN.com’s Mike Wells. Satele’s roster spot could be in jeopardy, as he struggled last season and counts $5.1MM against the 2014 salary cap. Additionally, Wells mentions some scouts think Mike McGlynn, a free agent-to-be, is a better option. The team also spent a fourth-round pick on Khaled Holmes, a developmental center out of USC.
Some information from around the American Football Conference…
- The Dolphins are unlikely to offer the franchise tag to cornerback Brent Grimes, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. While many, including NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal, thought it was a given that Grimes would receive the tag, it appears the Dolphins don’t want to commit the $11.3MM figure it would take to automatically bring the 30-year-old back.
- Colts general manager Ryan Grigson responded “yes” when asked if he would repeat the Trent Richardson deal, writes Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com. The Colts surrendered the 26th pick for Richardson, who ran for only 458 yards in 14 games for Indy.
- The Chargers are still awaiting decisions from center Nick Hardwick and receiver Malcolm Floyd on whether the players will retire, writes Michael Gehlkin of the U-T San Diego. Hardwick just finished his tenth NFL campaign while Floyd’s season ended in September when he suffered a neck injury.
- The Ravens met with a variety of offensive prospects at the NFL Combine. The team was scheduled to meet with running back Terrance West on Friday night, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The Ravens’ running back depth may be in a bit of a bind, and there’s no denying West’s talent after he ran for 2,509 yards and 42 total touchdowns last season. Wilson also says that the Ravens met with running backs Carlos Hyde (Ohio State), Andre Williams (Boston College) and Ka’Deem Carey (Arizona).
- The Ravens also met with receiver Kelvin Benjamin, says Wilson. The six-foot-five wideout from Florida State caught 15 touchdowns last season.
There have been some rumblings at the combine that the Dolphins could cut linebacker Philip Wheeler, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle, who adds (via Twitter) that the Raiders would be “very interested” in bringing Wheeler back to Oakland if he were available. Still, I’d be pretty surprised if Miami decided to part ways with Wheeler. With several years of prorated bonus money still left on his deal, the Dolphins wouldn’t create any cap savings by releasing the 29-year-old this offseason.
As the Dolphins weigh that decision, let’s check out a handful of other updates from across the NFL….
- Cornerback Brent Grimes had been viewed as a candidate to be designated as the Dolphins’ franchise player this offseason. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com now hears that tagging Grimes may not be a realistic solution for Miami at a cost of about $11.3MM (Twitter link).
- Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com provides a few of the notable quotes from Chargers GM Tom Telesco during his Thurday sesssion with reporters. Telesco acknowledged that the team isn’t exactly “flush with cap space,” suggesting there will be some tough decisions to make in the next several weeks.
- In his comments to the media today, there were no indications that GM Trent Baalke and the 49ers will ask Frank Gore to take a pay cut for 2014, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.
- After spending big in free agency a year ago, the Colts plan to be more judicious with their spending this offseason, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.
- According to ESPN.com’s David Newton, the time may be right for the Panthers to draft a QB to back up Cam Newton.
- The Ravens met with a pair of top-five OT draft prospects – Zack Martin and Taylor Lewan – at the combine, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- In an interview with Rob Maaddi of The Associated Press, former All-Pro receiver Terrell Owens suggested he still thinks he’s capable of playing in the NFL at age 40. In spite of T.O.’s confidence, I wouldn’t expect to see him sign with an NFL team anytime soon.
The Colts and free agent cornerback Vontae Davis have begun negotiating a new agreement, but the two sides remain in the early stages of discussions, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. According to Holder, a deal is “far from imminent,” as the Colts and Davis wait for the free agent market to develop.
As Holder writes, teams with free agent cornerbacks figure to talk to those players’ camps at this week’s combine, and some clubs could decide to place the franchise tag on their free agent DBs. Those developments will help establish what sort of offers could be out there for Davis on the open market in March, which will help the two sides determine what might be fair value for the standout cornerback.
While Davis only grabbed one interception in 2013, the former 25th overall pick ranked among the best cornerbacks in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). Only Darrelle Revis and fellow free agent Brent Grimes had higher overall grades than Davis, according to PFF.
Davis, who will turn 26 in May, is still very much in his prime, so he’ll likely draw significant interest in March if he and the Colts can’t reach an agreement before free agency. However, as Holder wrote earlier this month, there’s mutual interest in working something out.
Thanks in large part to last season’s trade of Jon Beason, the Panthers have $17.8MM in “dead money,” more than any team in the league, according to ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert (full chart here). “Dead money” is defined as cap space consumed by players no longer on the roster, whether they retired, were released or traded. The numbers will fluctuate as rosters continue to evolve, but listed below are the five teams with at least $10MM worth of “dead money” at present time, including the players accounting for most of the sunk costs:
- Panthers ($17.8MM): Beason ($8MM), Jordan Gross ($5.6MM), James Anderson ($2.8MM)
- Bills ($12.1MM): Ryan Fitzpatrick ($8MM), Mark Anderson ($3MM), Rian Lindell ($1.38MM)
- Cowboys ($11.8MM): Jay Ratliff ($6.9MM), Nate Livings ($2.1MM), Marcus Spears ($1.4mM), Sean Lissemore ($1.2MM)
- Saints ($10.5MM): Roman Harper ($3.7MM), Jabari Greer ($2.7MM), Will Smith ($2.4MM), Garrett Hartley ($1MM)
- Cardinals ($10.1MM): Levi Brown ($6.5MM), Adam Snyder ($3MM)
At the other end of the spectrum, six teams have less than $1MM in “dead money”: Jets, Rams, Buccaneers, Colts, Seahawks and Bengals.
The Colts have cut two players, waiving defensive lineman Jake McDonough and releasing running back Tashard Choice, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). McDonough must past through waivers before becoming a free agent, while Choice is immediately eligible for unrestricted free agency.
Choice, 29, joined the Colts after spending most of the 2013 season with the Bills. The ex-Cowboy had 46 combined carries for the two teams last season, totaling 170 yards on the ground. He figures to catch on with an NFL team searching for backfield depth.
As for McDonough, he signed in 2013 with the Jets and then the Colts as an undrafted free agent, but never saw action in an NFL game. If another team takes a flier on the defensive end for 2014, he’ll likely be hard-pressed to earn a roster spot.
One of the biggest question marks for the Colts this offseason is how the team will better develop Trent Richardson after a disappointing 2013 campaign. Since the team traded a first-round pick to acquire him, Richardson seems locked in to the top of the depth chart at least at the beginning of this season. Because of this, and the return of Vick Ballard from injury, Donald Brown and Ahmad Bradshaw will probably be searching for new teams in free agency, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.com. While they were arguably the Colts best running backs last season, they would most likely look for opportunities to start or split time elsewhere. Here are some other rumors from around the AFC South:
- While the Colts will have more than $30MM to spend, Wells does not see the team bringing a bunch of big name free agents this offseason. With new contracts for T.Y. Hilton and most importantly Andrew Luck on the horizon, much of that cap space will be saved for re-signing current players or cheaper free agents.
- Alterraun Verner has been thought of as a possible franchise tag candidate for the Titans, but Jim Wyatt of the Tennesseean does not see that as a likely scenario, as the team is already paying Jason McCourty a little over $8.6MM per year. Verner’s franchise price is expected to be around $11.2MM, and together it would be too much to invest in one position. The team will continue to work on a long-term deal with Verner.
- Jason Babin is unlikely to be on the Jaguars roster next season at his current price tag of $4.225MM, but he is willing to renegotiate that figure to stay with the team, writes Michael Dirocco of ESPN.com. Babin was the Jaguars’ best pass rusher last season, totaling a team-high 7.5 sacks on the season.
In the wake of the publication of the Ted Wells report, Jonathan Martin’s agent Kenny Zuckerman reiterated to several reporters today, including ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link), that his client fully intends to continue his NFL career in 2014. Jim Harbaugh, Martin’s former coach at Stanford, believes that the offensive tackle should fare better in another team’s locker room, as Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee details. Meanwhile, Mike Garafalo of FOX Sports tweets that Martin’s camp will meet with the Dolphins as soon as next week at the scouting combine.
Richie Incognito‘s lawyer has publicly suggested that the Wells report is “replete with errors,” while Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald hears from a Dolphins source that offensive line coach Jim Turner is almost certainly done in Miami (Twitter link). There may still be more twists and turns coming in this story, but for now we’ll focus on a few other non-Dolphins items around the AFC:
- While it won’t affect teams’ salary cap figures, plenty of clubs are set to pay out deferred bonus money this weekend. The Patriots will pay Tom Brady $5MM of his signing bonus, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com. Brian McIntyre reports (via Twitter) that the Chiefs and Dolphins will also pay out bonus money on Saturday, including $6MM to Tamba Hali and $5MM to Dwayne Bowe for Kansas City.
- With Trent Richardson and Vick Ballard set to return to the Colts’ backfield, it wouldn’t be surprising to see prospective free agent Donald Brown land elsewhere, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.
- A history of concussions has placed Kevin Kolb‘s NFL future in doubt, and Bills coach Doug Marrone told WGR 550 today that he still isn’t sure if Kolb is planning to return to the team. ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak has the details. With a $1MM roster bonus owed to the quarterback next month, the Bills may end up releasing Kolb or restructuring his deal.
- Within his latest look around the NFL, Bleacher Report’s Dan Pompei revisits the Browns‘ front office situation, providing details about Ray Farmer‘s GM candidacy with the Dolphins, Cleveland’s head coaching search, and Joe Banner‘s future job prospects.
- The Titans should try to re-sign cornerback Alterraun Verner, safety Bernard Pollard, and defensive end Ropati Pitoitua, but should be content to let wide receiver Kenny Britt and a few other free agents walk, suggests Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
The Colts have trimmed their roster by one, announcing today that they’ve waived offensive lineman Justin Anderson.
Since being drafted in the seventh round of the 2012 draft by the Colts, Anderson has yet to appear in an NFL game. He was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list in August 2012, and on Injured Reserve in August 2013. By releasing him, the Colts will erase his minimum salary from their books for the 2014 season. Anderson’s contract had been set to expire in 2015.
MONDAY, 12:28pm: Muamba’s deal includes $107K in guaranteed money, according to Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter). As Brian McIntyre tweets, that’s the largest amount of guaranteed money included in any futures contract signed to date.
THURSDAY, 7:35pm: The Colts announced that they have signed former CFL linebacker Henoc Muamba. The first overall pick in the CFL’s 2011 draft worked out for multiple NFL teams in recent months, including the Ravens and Browns. Brian McIntyre (on Twitter) adds that Muamba also auditioned for the Broncos, Patriots, and Vikings.
Yesterday, the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers announced that they were releasing the linebacker to allow him to pursue an opportunity in the NFL. Terms of Muamba’s deal are not yet known. While I would think that the middle linebacker’s deal is a reserve/futures contract, it seems possible that he got more than the minimum salary based on the number of teams that showed interest in recent weeks.
Recently, the Chiefs landed another standout CFL import in wide receiver Weston Dressler, after he was let out of his contract with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Kansas City inked Dressler to a reserve/futures pact.