NFL: Video Involving Jags’ Dante Fowler Jr. Contains ‘Disturbing Images’
A video involving two women fighting while Dante Fowler Jr. observes and then tries to stop the brawl surfaced today on TMZ Sports. The website refers to the women who scuffle in this video recorded at an apartment complex earlier this month as the mother of Fowler’s child and a woman believed to be Fowler’s current girlfriend 
The NFL released a brief statement characterizing the video as containing “disturbing images,” (link via Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union), and will review the matter.
The Jaguars’ 2015 first-round pick, Fowler does not throw a punch in the video and breaks up the fight.
According to Carlyon, this fight occurred Feb. 1. The Jaguars and Fowler released statements following the NFL’s comment, and the Jaguars’ comments indicate Fowler informed the team of the incident before the video surfaced.
“I am embarrassed and have apologized for my actions to everyone involved,” Fowler said in his statement. “As a family, we have been dealing with this moment and the conflict that led to it since this occurred. The video surfacing is a sad reminder that emotions got the best of all of us. I take 100 percent responsibility for everything that happened
No police report of this incident exists.
Fowler missed all of his rookie season due to tearing his ACL during the first day of the Jags’ rookie minicamp last spring.
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images
Sunday Roundup: T. Johnson, Long, 49ers
We recently heard the the Rams are considering using the transition tag on cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency in just over two weeks. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com discusses why a team would consider the transition tag–which does not net a team any compensation when the tagged player signs elsewhere–when a slightly more expensive franchise tag would virtually assure the team of retaining the tagged player. As Florio writes, “Some may be doing it just to see what the player’s value is, knowing that if it’s too high they’ll let him walk. Others possibly don’t want the franchise tender to lay the foundation for a long-term deal.”
Florio, citing a league source, says that if Johnson does get the transition tag, he will not sign the transition tender. Instead, he will actively seek an offer sheet from another team, just as Alex Mack did in 2014 and Charles Clay did last season.
Now let’s take a look at some more notes from around the league:
- Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com takes a look at whether the Seahawks will pursue recently-released DE Chris Long, who has 8.5 sacks in 15 career games against Seattle as a member of the division-rival Rams. Long’s age and injury history suggest that he’s probably in line for a relatively modest deal, and given that the Seahawks are always on the lookout for pass rushing help, Kapadia suggests that Long could be a fit.
- Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com says the 49ers‘ No. 1 priority this offseason is resolving the Colin Kaepernick dilemma, and he sets forth four ways in which the team could find that resolution. Right now, indications are that Kaepernick would like to resume his career elsewhere, and if San Francisco wants to move on as well, the 49ers can give Kaepernick permission to seek a trade and work out a restructured contract with another team before a trade is finalized. Alternatively, the two sides could work out a settlement in which the team releases him and is not on the hook for the $11.9MM he is owed in 2016.
- The Jaguars do not plan on filling the vacancy that was left when they promoted Todd Wash from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator, according to Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union. Instead, Wash will continue to coach the team’s defensive lineman, and head coach Gus Bradley downplayed any notion that his first-time coordinator would be stretched too thin.
- D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution provides his ranking of the Falcons‘ top 12 unrestricted free agents. Given that O’Brien Schofield tops the list, it is clear that the Falcons’ pending free agents are comprised primarily of role players and reserves.
- Jesse James, selected in the fifth round of last year’s draft, will get the first chance to replace the recently-retired Heath Miller as the Steelers‘ No. 1 tight end, as Mark Kaboly of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. After being inactive for the first eight games of the regular season, James saw limited action in the next ten, including the playoffs. The Steelers will likely add a tight end in free agency to complement James and high-upside practice squad player Xavier Grimble, even though the free agent class of tight ends is fairly weak. Ben Watson, who met with Pittsburgh during training camp a few years ago, is perhaps the best fit for the Steelers.
Jaguars Re-Sign Chad Henne
11:01am: The Jaguars have officially re-signed Henne, the team announced today in a press release.
10:10am: The Jaguars have reached an agreement with Chad Henne on an extension that will bring him back to the team for the 2016 season, and perhaps beyond that, a source tells Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). Getlin reports that the two-year deal, which features some incentives, is worth $8MM. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter) first reported that the two sides were closing in on a deal.
Henne, 30, has started 53 games since entering the league in 2008, including 22 for the Jaguars from 2012 to 2014. However, since the team drafted Blake Bortles third overall in ’14, he has been primarily relegated to backup duty, and seems to have transitioned into the role of a veteran mentor. While he was eligible to reach free agency this winter, it seems he’s comfortable enough in that role to forgo exploring the open market.
Henne’s last contract with Jacksonville, signed back in March 2014, was also a two-year extension worth $8MM, which included incentives and escalators based on playing time and team success. Even though Bortles has now cemented himself as the unquestioned starter for the Jaguars, it’s not surprising to see Henne get a similar deal as the clear-cut No. 2 this time around. He’s one of the more reliable backups in the NFL, and those players typically earn an annual salary in the $4-5MM range.
Given the Jaguars’ cap situation, paying Henne an annual $4MM salary isn’t an issue. According to Over the Cap, the team entered Thursday with a league-high $79.8MM in projected cap room for 2016, so Henne’s new deal will be a small drop in the bucket. Additionally, Bortles won’t be due for a new extension of his own for at least another year or two, so the team’s top two signal-callers will remain very affordable as a duo for the next couple seasons.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AFC South Notes: Colts, Jaguars, Skuta
A pair of pending Colts free agents have hired Drew Rosenhaus to represent them, per Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter links). Tight end Dwayne Allen and linebacker Jerrell Freeman will both be represented by the super agent heading into March and that could be a promising sign for the Colts. Rosenhaus has a history of getting deals done with Indianapolis and the team would surely like to retain both players.
Here’s more from the AFC South:
- Linebacker Dan Skuta had never been considered a probable cap casualty for the Jaguars this offseason, but that possibility became even more remote last week. According to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), $3.5MM of Skuta’s $3.6MM base salary for 2016 became fully guaranteed on Friday, meaning there would be extremely minimal cap savings this season for the Jags if they were to cut him.
- Finding a starting center should be a priority for the Jaguars this offseason, says Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. As we noted last week during our Jags offseason preview, incumbent starter Stefen Wisniewski is a free agent, and Alex Mack – who drew significant interest from Jacksonville two years ago – may hit the market again.
- Colts linebacker Jonathan Newsome was arrested early Wednesday morning on possession of marijuana charges, as Matt Adams of FOX59 writes. Authorities first came to Newsome’s home to follow up on a noise complaint and during the investigation, officers found marijuana. Police said Newsome cooperated with authorities as he was taken into custody. Newsome established himself in 2014 with 4.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits. In 2015, the 25-year-old didn’t put up the same kind of numbers, recording 18 total tackles and 1 sack.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/16/16
Here are the latest minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL:
- The Cardinals announced a pair of signings today in a press release, confirming that they’ve re-signed safety Chris Clemons and added Australian Rules Football player Joel Wilkinson. A former starter in the Dolphins’ secondary, Clemons hasn’t seen much playing time since joining the Cardinals in 2014, but the team likes him enough to bring him back for a third season. As for Wilkinson, he’ll try to follow in the footsteps of Jarryd Hayne, who earned a spot on the 49ers’ roster last year after coming over from Australia. Wilkinson will play cornerback.
- The Steelers signed long snapper Matt Dooley and defensive tackle Lavon Hooks while cutting tight end Rob Blanchflower and offensive tackles Kelvin Palmer and Mitchell Van Dyk, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
- The Falcons announced on Monday that they have waived cornerback Travis Howard and fullback Collin Mooney, two players who spent the 2015 season on the injured reserve list. Mooney last saw the field during a regular-season contest in 2013, when he appeared in 12 games for the Titans. Howard has spent time with the Patriots and Giants, but has never seen regular-season action.
- Cornerback Chance Casey, who spent more than half of the 2015 season on the Browns’ practice squad, has signed with the Jaguars, per team PR rep Tad Dickman (Twitter link). Casey was on the Colts’ roster last summer before being waived during roster cutdowns in September.
2016 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates
On Tuesday, February 16th, NFL teams will be able to place franchise and transition tags on potential free agents for the first time. While the window for franchise tags opens at that point, most clubs won’t actually tag any players right away.
As our list of important dates for the 2016 offseason shows, the deadline for teams to assign those franchise and transition tags comes two weeks later, on Tuesday, March 1st. Generally when it comes to NFL contract discussions, deadlines spur action, so teams will likely wait until closer to that March deadline to officially use franchise tags, once it becomes clear that they won’t be able to strike a longer-term deal yet with their respective free-agents-to-be.
Even though the action might not heat up for a couple more weeks, it’s worth taking a closer look at what to expect during 2016’s franchise tag period. We don’t know yet what the exact salary amounts for franchise tags will be, since the NFL has yet to announce the salary cap figure for the coming year. But back in November, former agent Joel Corry of CBSSports.com projected the 2016 franchise tag salaries, based on a presumed cap of $154MM. Here are the non-exclusive franchise tag amounts projected by Corry:
- Quarterback: $19.748MM
- Running back: $11.871MM
- Wide receiver: $14.527MM
- Tight end: $9.053MM
- Offensive line: $13.678MM
- Defensive end: $15.494MM
- Defensive tackle: $13.368MM
- Linebacker: $14.131MM
- Cornerback: $13.838MM
- Safety: $10.717MM
- Punter/kicker: $4.534MM
Those numbers are unlikely to be 100% accurate, but the actual figures won’t be drastically different, so we can use them as points of reference when considering which players are candidates to be franchised in 2016.
For a refresher on the characteristics of the exclusive and non-exclusive franchise tags, as well as the transition tag, be sure to check out PFR’s glossary entry on the subject. Once you’re up to speed, let’s dive in and take a look at the most likely candidates to be tagged, along with several more outside possibilities….
Virtual locks:
Broncos pass rusher Von Miller was viewed as the top player in this year’s group of potential free agents even before he terrorized Cam Newton in Santa Clara and earned Super Bowl MVP honors. Now, there’s no doubt that Denver will do all it can to retain the former second overall pick. The only questions for Miller are whether he’ll reach a long-term deal with the Broncos before the club needs to franchise him, and whether he’d get the exclusive or non-exclusive tag.
Panthers cornerback Josh Norman didn’t make the same impact in Super Bowl 50 that Miller did, but Carolina still seems likely to franchise him to avoid letting him hit the open market. The franchise tag for cornerbacks is projected to be worth nearly $14MM, but the Panthers are in better cap shape than they have been in recent years, and can afford to take the hit.
Meanwhile, it has been a few years since a quarterback was franchised, but Washington signal-caller Kirk Cousins is a strong candidate. Reports have indicated the team won’t let him get away, but the two sides apparently aren’t close to a multiyear agreement, which makes the franchise tag the most logical option at this point.
Strong candidates:
A year or two ago, Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery would have been a no-brainer candidate for the franchise tag. However, 2015 was an up-and-down season for Jeffery, who only played in nine games due to injury issues. When he did play, Jeffery was excellent, averaging a career-high 89.7 yards per game, and few teams have more projected cap room this offseason than Chicago, so it seems unlikely that the team would let the wideout get away — especially given how weak the market for receivers is this year, outside of Jeffery.
The Jets are facing an interesting predicament on their defensive line with Damon Harrison and Muhammad Wilkerson eligible for free agency this winter. Harrison isn’t a franchise tag candidate, and the Jets could conceivably re-sign him at a reasonable price, then move forward with a defensive line of Harrison, Sheldon Richardson, and Leonard Williams. However, letting an asset like Wilkerson get away for nothing isn’t great business, which is why he has been viewed as an intriguing tag-and-trade candidate for New York.
Elsewhere in the AFC East, the Bills and Dolphins don’t have a ton of cap flexibility, which could affect their decisions on offensive tackle Cordy Glenn and defensive end Olivier Vernon, respectively. There are ways for Buffalo and Miami to create the space necessary to tag their free-agents-to-be, but 
both teams already have plenty of highly-paid veterans on their books, so the decisions aren’t no-brainers. I think Glenn, at least, is slightly more likely than not to be tagged, but both players could conceivably reach the open market.
Safety Eric Berry had a tremendous comeback season in 2015, and it would put something of a damper on that story for the Chiefs to allow him to sign elsewhere next month. A $10MM+ price tag for a safety isn’t cheap, but it’s a more affordable tag than most positions, so I think Kansas City will have to strongly consider using it if the team can’t agree on a longer-term contract with Berry. As last year’s negotiations with Justin Houston showed, the Chiefs aren’t afraid to franchise a player, then work out a multiyear pact with him later in the offseason.
One position that’s significantly cheaper than safety is kicker, where Corry projects a salary in the $4.5MM range. The Ravens and Justin Tucker have reportedly been negotiating a potential extension for over a year, but with the franchise deadline approaching, the team isn’t afraid to use a tag on Tucker, if it comes to that.
Long shots:
The Jets want to extend Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Eagles have spoken highly of Sam Bradford, but it appears unlikely that either quarterback will get franchised. At least one report has indicated that the Eagles aren’t expected to use their franchise tag to retain Bradford, and a price tag of nearly $20MM seems too high for Fitzpatrick.
Like Fitzpatrick, Buccaneers running back Doug Martin is a player whose team badly wants to re-sign him, but may view the franchise tag salary as too high. For running backs, the tag could be worth nearly $12MM, which would make Martin the second-highest-paid RB in the NFL – behind Adrian Peterson – by a comfortable margin. For a player who has been as inconsistent as Martin, that seems excessive.
A handful of offensive linemen are possible candidates to be tagged by their respective teams, including Kelechi Osemele (Ravens), Russell Okung (Seahawks), Mitchell Schwartz (Browns), Kelvin Beachum (Steelers), and Andre Smith (Bengals). However, I’d be a little surprised if even one of those five got the franchise tag. Since there’s only one price tag for all offensive linemen, the projected salary ($13.678MM) is left-tackle money, and Osemele, Schwartz, and Smith haven’t seen much – if any – playing time at left tackle. As for Okung and Beachum, I’m skeptical that their teams will want to invest too heavily in them, since they haven’t been consistently healthy and elite in recent years.
If the Broncos strike a long-term deal with Miller soon, it would free up the franchise tag for quarterback Brock Osweiler or defensive end Malik Jackson. Even in the unlikely event that Miller and the Broncos agree to terms quickly though, the franchise salaries for Osweiler and Jackson may be a little too high.
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul got the franchise tag last year, but it’ll be pricier this season, and obviously there are more question marks this time around, given the state of his right hand. As such, I don’t think he’s a real candidate to be tagged, despite New York’s significant cap space. Bengals safety Reggie Nelson seems like a similar long-shot — he had another good season in 2015, earning his first Pro Bowl nod, but it would be surprising to see a team commit $10MM+ to a 33-year-old safety.
Finally, Tucker isn’t the only kicker or punter who has a shot to be tagged. Jaguars punter Bryan Anger, Raiders punter Marquette King, and Packers kicker Mason Crosby are among the other special teams candidates. They’re all less likely than Tucker to be franchised, but the Jags and Raiders have the most cap room in the NFL, so they could certainly afford it.
Sunday Roundup: T. Jackson, Osweiler, Jags
The brief post-Super Bowl lull has set in on the NFL world, but the first day of free agency is right around the corner, and you can bet that there will soon be reports concerning contract extensions, franchise tags, etc. As we await that deluge, let’s take a look at some news and notes from around the league:
- Seahawks backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is expected to test the free agent market this year, according to Jessamyn McIntyre of 710 ESPN Seattle (via Twitter). McIntyre reports that there was a strong market for Jackson’s services last season before he ultimately decided to re-up with Seattle.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders what it will take for the Broncos to retain Brock Osweiler, especially since there are likely to be a number of teams like the Texans, Jets, and Rams potentially willing to bid against Denver for his services. We learned yesterday that a contract with an AAV of around $9MM would probably not be enough to prevent Osweiler from testing the free agent market, and Florio appears to concur with that sentiment.
- Kevin Acee of The San Diego Times-Tribune explores potential stadium sites in San Diego that the Chargers might consider, concluding that the Mission Valley site, although less exciting, is more likely than the East Village option.
- Although there have been rumors that the Jaguars will consider adding an offensive tackle this offseason, Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union would be surprised if that happened. O’Halloran notes that the Jaguars’ two starting tackles, Luke Joeckel and Jermey Parnell, currently account for the third and fourth highest cap charges on the roster, respectively, and he adds that no starting-caliber free agent tackle would sign with Jacksonville at this point.
- Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer looks at the biggest issues facing the Panthers this offseason. He believes that Carolina will ultimately put the franchise tag on Josh Norman and should ask defensive end Charles Johnson to rework his current deal.
- Although he may be a bit biased, former NFL GM and well-respected football mind Bill Polian believes the Lions made the right decision in retaining Jim Caldwell, per Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. Polian points to the team’s drastic improvement in the second half of the 2015 season and the players’ support of Caldwell as indicators that Caldwell is the right man for the job.
2016 Proven Performance Escalators
According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time cumulatively during that period.
If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s lowest restricted free agent tender — that figure is projected to be $1.696MM in 2016. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.
Here are the players who will see their salary rise in 2016 courtesy of the proven performance escalator:
49ers: Gerald Hodges, LB
Bears: Marquess Wilson, WR
Buccaneers: William Gholston, DE; Mike Glennon, QB; Akeem Spence, DT
Cardinals: Andre Ellington, RB; Tyrann Mathieu, CB/S; Alex Okafor, LB
Chargers: Keenan Allen, WR
Colts: Sio Moore, LB; Hugh Thornton, G
Cowboys: J.J. Wilcox, S; Terrance Williams, WR
Dolphins: Jelani Jenkins, LB; Dallas Thomas, T; Dion Sims, TE; Kenny Stills, WR
Eagles: Bennie Logan, DT
Falcons: Kemal Ishmael, S; Levine Toilolo, TE
Jaguars: Josh Evans, S; Dwayne Gratz, CB
Jets: Brian Winters, G
Lions: Larry Warford, G
Packers: David Bakhtiari, T; Micah Hyde, S
Patriots: Duron Harmon, S; Chris Jones, DT; Logan Ryan, CB
Raiders: Mychal Rivera, TE
Rams: T.J. McDonald, S
Ravens: Ricky Wagner, T; Brandon Williams, DT
Saints: Terron Armstead, T; John Jenkins, DT
Seahawks: Luke Willson, TE
Steelers: Markus Wheaton, WR
Titans: Brian Schwenke, C
Washington: Jordan Reed, TE
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/12/16
Here are Friday’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from across the NFL:
- The Steelers have re-signed long snapper Greg Warren to another one-year deal, tweets Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Warren, who typically inks one-year contracts with the maximum allowable signing bonus for a minimum salary benefit player, has served as the Steelers’ long snapper since 2005, appearing in 164 regular-season games during that time.
- The Jaguars have signed Josh Johnson to a free agent contract, PR rep Tad Dickman announced today (via Twitter). This Josh Johnson isn’t the former Buccaneers and Bengals quarterback, but rather a cornerback from the CFL. Johnson played for the B.C. Lions last season, recording 56 tackles, an interception, and a sack, before trying out for the Jags in December.
AFC South Notes: Titans, Martin, Jaguars
Adam Vinatieri turned 43 in December, but he continued to perform well for the Colts in the final season of his most recent contract, and the team would reportedly like to bring him back on a new deal. Luckily for the Colts, Vinatieri has decided to continue playing in 2016 rather than retire.
In 2015, Vinatieri connected on 25 of 27 field goal tries, for a 92.6% conversion rate. However, he did occasionally struggle with the longer extra point, missing three of 35 attempts. Still, there were few NFL kickers more reliable than Vinatieri, who is now third on the league’s list of all-time leading scorers. With 2,253 points, Vinatieri could make a run at Morten Andersen (2,544) and Gary Anderson (2,434) if he decides to play for longer than just one more season.
Here’s more from the AFC South:
- The Buccaneers and running back Doug Martin have mutual interest in getting a deal done before March 9th, but if Martin does become an unrestricted free agent, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter link) expects him to be high on the Titans‘ wish list. Tennessee’s new GM Jon Robinson, of course, previously worked in Tampa Bay’s front office.
- The Jaguars can’t afford to miss on their free agency decisions, Gene Frenette of The Florida Times-Union writes. For more on what lies ahead for Jacksonville this offseason, check out PFR’s Offseason Outlook for the Jaguars.
- Free agent long snapper Zach Triner worked out this week for the Jaguars and Jets, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).