Browns Notes: Mack, Quarterback
Alex Mack has agreed to an offer sheet with the Jaguars, reports Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). He writes that the actual offer sheet has not been drawn up, but it will be submitted as soon as it is. It was reported earlier that Mack would be signing a five-year deal with the Jaguars, and that the team put language in that would make it as difficult as possible for the Browns to match.
Here are further reports regarding the Mack deal and the Browns’ offseason:
- ESPN’s Adam Schefter had reported earlier that Mack would prefer to play out this contract in Jacksonville rather than have the Browns match (via Twitter). The Browns told Mack earlier in the offseason that they would not hold him hostage if he wanted to leave, according to Michael Silver of NFL.com (via Twitter). The general feeling is the Browns will strongly consider matching the offer.
- Head coach Mike Pettine plans to bring in a veteran quarterback before the draft, writes Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. The team only has Brian Hoyer and Alex Tanney currently on the roster, and with Hoyer not fully recovered from his ACL injury, they will need another arm for minicamp, which starts on April 29. Even if they bring in a veteran, the Browns will still be expected to target a quarterback in the draft.
- Tom Pelissero of USA Today laid out a scenario that he believes some of the playoff teams picking at the end of the first round are hoping for, in which one or more of the top quarterbacks slides into the late first round (via Twitter). In this scenario, the Browns would be the last logical landing spot for a quarterback with the 26th pick, meaning the playoff teams with strong quarterback situations could look to trade down to a quarterback needy team at the top of the second round (via Twitter).
Pre-Draft Visits: Jaguars, Beckham, Raiders
The Jaguars have been bringing in a number of notable prospects, including some of the draft’s top quarterbacks. Tomorrow they will add Alabama’s A.J. McCarron, LSU’s Zach Mettenberger, Fresno State’s Derek Carr, and UCF’s Blake Bortles, reports Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).
Here are some other visits from across the NFL:
- LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has a visit scheduled with the Bills for Thursday, reports Sirius NFL XM Radio (via Twitter). Beckham met with the 49ers and Steelers earlier this week.
- Clemson defensive back Bashaud Breeland met with the Raiders on Tuesday, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Breeland has played both safety and cornerback, and has already met with the Bills.
- Nevada offensive lineman Joel Bitonio had his visit with the Rams today, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post Dispatch (via Twitter). Thomas writes that Bitonio could be drafted somewhere as high as the late first round.
South Notes: Jaguars, Texans, Falcons
The Jaguars have been at the center of a number of NFL stories this week, with the team reportedly on the verge of signing Alex Mack to a five-year offer sheet and hosting some of 2014’s biggest prospects on pre-draft visits this week. Jacksonville continues to pop up in the news cycle, with the team playing a part in a couple of our late-afternoon updates out of the NFL’s South divisions. Let’s dive in….
- Offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger, who re-signed with the Chargers today, drew interest from the Jaguars before he agreed to return to San Diego, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. It’s not likely that the Jags viewed Ohrnberger and Mack as equal commodities, but perhaps missing out on the former prompted the team to push harder to finalize an offer sheet with the latter.
- Add LSU running back Jeremy Hill to the list of prospects visiting the Jaguars tomorrow, says Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter).
- Notre Dame defensive end Stephon Tuitt, who met with the Jags today, will visit the Texans tomorrow, according to Gil Brandt of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- The Falcons have a visit lined up for next Wednesday with BYU outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
Jaguars Notes: Mack, Watkins, Clowney
The Jaguars are still contemplating extending an offer sheet to free agent center Alex Mack, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Because Mack is the Browns’ transition player, the team would have the opportunity to match a Jacksonville offer, and as Kabot details, it sounds like team owner Jimmy Haslam is leaning that way.
“We remain optimistic that Alex Mack will be a Cleveland Brown for a long time,” Haslam said yesterday. “We want him to be. I think we’ve made it very clear that he’s the kind of person, the kind of player we want in our organization.”
As the Jaguars continue to mull an offer for the standout center, we’ll check in on one idea for how they could structure their offer, along with a few more draft-related updates out of Jacksonville…
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com spoke to several agents and executives to try to get an idea of how the Jaguars could structure a contract for Mack that would make the Browns reluctant to match it. The best suggestion he heard involved a two-year deal with a base salary of $10MM for year one, and $1MM for year two, with a $15MM roster bonus early in that second year.
- The specific dollar figures on that potential Mack offer aren’t as important as the structure — the Jags could conceivably restructure the deal in the second year to convert the big roster bonus into a more cap-friendly signing bonus, and the Browns would be reluctant to match since they’d be paying a premium annual salary for just two years of Mack. Additionally, if Cleveland were to match such an offer and then release Mack before his second-year roster bonus, the team wouldn’t receive future compensation when he signed elsewhere.
- It’s a big week of pre-draft visits for the Jaguars, and we can add a few more notable names to the list of prospects who will be in town. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins will visit the Jags tomorrow, while Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets that South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney will arrive in town tonight.
- More pre-draft visits in Jacksonville: According to Peter Schrager of Fox Sports (via Twitter), Texas A&M wideout Mike Evans is visiting the Jaguars today, and O’Halloran reports (via Twitter) that Alabama signal-caller A.J. McCarron will meet with the club tomorrow.
South Notes: Bucs, Draft Visits, Jaguars
We’ve already checked in on a pair of AFC South teams this morning, with posts on the Titans and Jaguars, but there are a few more items related to teams in that division and its NFC counterpart, so let’s dive right in….
- As Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times details, wide receiver Mike Williams is determined to prove that the Buccaneers made a mistake by trading him to the Bills, and claims that not all of the stories about his off-field incidents are actually true.
- The torn ACL suffered by Clemson offensive lineman Brandon Thomas occurred during a private workout with the Saints, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).
- According to Wilson (Twitter links), Lavelle Hawkins and Major Wright both received minimum salaries from the Buccaneers, though Hawkins didn’t get a signing bonus, while Wright got one worth $65K.
- Ball State cornerback Jeff Garrett will work out for the Colts on April 16, tweets Wilson.
- We rounded up reports this morning of several notable prospects who are visiting the Jaguars, but we didn’t quite get them all. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets that the team is also hosting BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy and Notre Dame defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt while Ed Werder of ESPN.com says (via Twitter) Blake Bortles is due to visit on Thursday.
Jaguars To Host Bridgewater, Carr, Others
8:44am: Rapoport and Schefter pass along word of a few more pre-draft visits for the Jaguars, with Rapoport tweeting that linebacker Anthony Barr will be in town tomorrow, while Schefter reports (via Twitter) that quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater and Jimmy Garoppolo are also on the schedule.
8:37am: As we noted last night, one of 2014’s top quarterback prospects, Johnny Manziel, is set to pay the Jaguars a visit this week, but he won’t be the only notable prospect in town over the next couple days. Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports that quarterback Derek Carr will also meet with the Jags, while Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that linebacker Khalil Mack will visit the team, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (via Twitter) offensive tackle Greg Robinson will also be in Jacksonville.
The Jaguars hold the No. 3 overall pick in next month’s draft and appear to be considering a variety of players and positions. Manziel and Robinson are perhaps the more likely members of this group to be top-three picks, but Mack is viewed as the best linebacker available, and Carr is, at worst, considered the best signal-caller available outside of the top three of Manziel, Blake Bortles, and Teddy Bridgewater.
Schefter adds that Mack will travel on to St. Louis to meet with the Rams following his visit with the Jaguars.
Draft Notes: Manziel, Matthews, Mettenberger
As the NFL Draft quickly approaches, Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review takes a look at five players the Steelers could draft in the first round. The list includes receivers Mike Evans and Kelvin Benjamin, cornerbacks Darqueze Dennard and Justin Gilbert and defensive lineman Louis Nix. Robinson also brings up Pittsburgh defensive lineman Aaron Donald, but believes that the defender is not a good fit for the Steelers. Pittsburgh has the 15th pick in the first-round of this year’s draft.
Here are some more prospect notes…
- Johnny Manziel will begin meeting with the Jaguars tomorrow, reports Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Manziel spent that last two days with the Raiders.
- Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews will visit with the Bills tomorrow, tweets Joe Buscaglia of WGR Sports Radio.
- While the team will meet with the quarterback, the Titans have no intention of working out Zach Mettenberger, according to Jim Wyatt of Tennessean (via Twitter).
- University of Tennessee offensive lineman Ja’Wuan James is scheduled to visit the Titans this week, tweets Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com.
- Running back De’Anthony Thomas will visit with the Bears, Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets.
- Scouts for the Bills and Saints were at Terrance West‘s pro day, Wilson tweets. The Bengals also met with the Towson running back (via Twitter). West ran for 2295 yards last season.
- Center Bryan Stork will visit the Saints this week, according to Larry Holder of NOLA.com (via Twitter). The Florida State alumni won the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s best center.
- Former Boise State defensive tackle Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe met with the Chargers, reports Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (via Twitter). According to Gehlken, the Amsterdam-native is relatively new to the sport.
- Eagles coach Bob Bicknell worked out Rutgers receivers Quron Pratt and Brandon Coleman, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.
- The Dolphins hosted offensive tackle Garrett Scott, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. The team has already added linemen Shelley Smith, Branden Albert and Jason Fox during free agency.
AFC Notes: Mack, Wimbley, Brown, Steelers
It was reported that the Browns wouldn’t hesitate to match an offer sheet for Alex Mack containing $22M guaranteed, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union gives reasons why the Jaguars can afford to overspend for Mack if they so desire.
Here’s a handful of other AFC notes:
- Jets GM John Idzik, on the job 15 months, has cut ties with three of his predecessor Mike Tannenbaum’s nine first-round picks (Darrelle Revis, Dustin Keller and Mark Sanchez). Cornerback Kyle Wilson could be next out the door, writes ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini, who cites Wilson’s unimpactful play as the reason he’s on the hot seat. In 2,195 defensive snaps over four seasons, Wilson has managed just six impact plays. Says Cimini: “Clearly, the organization has added competition, so Wilson will have to raise his game if he wants to play out his contract in New York.” Wilson has one year remaining on his rookie deal.
- The Steelers “have been able to reshape their roster despite the constraints of the salary cap,” writes ESPN.com’s Scott Brown, who details how the team took advantage of a rule in the CBA that allows teams to hand out veteran minimum contracts and get a cap discount. In that that type of contract, the max signing bonus allowed is $65k, and the Steelers have done three such deals this offseason.
- The Steelers’ website posted a free agent update, listing key additions and subtractions for all four teams in the AFC North.
- The Titans and Kamerion Wimbley are still trying to work out a restructured contract, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennesseean (via Twitter).
- Free agent running back Andre Brown, previously of the Giants, will visit the Texans today, reports Pro Football Talk.
Alex Mack Notes: Sunday
We learned yesterday that it may only be a matter of time before the Jaguars extend an offer sheet to center Alex Mack. The parties met on Friday night, and it appears that they have been talking a potential deal since that meeting took place. If Mack does sign an offer sheet with another club, the Browns would have five days to match. We will start you off this Sunday with a few notes regarding Mack, and if any further developments unfold over the course of the day, we will post them here. Newest updates will be on top.
- Overthecap.com looks at how the Jaguars might try to construct an offer sheet to pry Mack away from Cleveland, comparing the Mack situation to that of Andrew Hawkins, the restricted free agent wide receiver that the Browns signed away from the Bengals earlier this offseason.
- In response to earlier reports that another club would have to extend Mack an offer sheet that includes $22MM in guaranteed money over the first three years of the deal to keep Cleveland from matching the offer, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, citing a source with knowledge of Mack’s situation, says that the Browns would match such an offer “in a second.”
Earlier updates:
- Citing a league source, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets that an offer sheet to Mack would need to include $22MM in guaranteed money over the first three years of the deal to dissuade Cleveland from matching.
- Cleveland may have no other choice but to match an offer sheet to Mack, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. It would have cost the Browns an additional $1.6MM to put the franchise tag on Mack, rather than the transition tag, but the two first-round draft picks associated with the franchise tag would have prevented any other team from extending an offer to the talented center. Given that the Browns still have about $30MM in cap space–compared to the Jaguars’ $25MM–Florio wonders how the Cleveland brass could justify letting Mack walk without receiving any sort of draft pick compensation for the sake of a relatively paltry $1.6MM savings.
- Tony Grossi of ESPN.com writes that Mack’s purported interest in the Jaguars serves to refute the notion that all he cares about is winning. Instead, as Grossi writes, “maybe stepping off the treadmill in Cleveland is his main goal.“
Browns Rumors: Burleson, Mack, Jaguars
The Jaguars hosted Browns free agent center Alex Mack earlier today and it sounds like Jacksonville could be on the verge of extending an offer sheet to him. As the Browns anxiously await the outcome of that situation, let’s take a look at the latest out of Cleveland..
- Free agent wide receiver Nate Burleson is having dinner with head coach Mike Pettine and wide receivers coach Mike McDaniel tonight in Cleveland, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer. We heard earlier today that Burleson was set to meet with Browns brass, so tonight’s pow-wow doesn’t come as a surprise. The 32-year-old racked up 191 catches from 2009-2011 but has struggled to stay on the field the past two seasons. Burleson met with the Dolphins earlier this week and Cabot says they’re still in play.
- If the Browns sign Burleson, he’ll be there as a depth signing, writes Tom Reed of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. If Cleveland added the veteran, Reed notes that it likely wouldn’t dissuade them frm drafting a wide receiver to play opposite Josh Gordon. The Browns also added Andrew Hawkins last month to help them in the slot.
- If the Jaguars are serious about signing Mack, they may need to play with the pay structure to scare off the Browns, tweets Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap. Of course, the Browns did something similar with Hawkins’ contract in order to get the Bengals to back off.
- To keep the Browns from matching, the Jaguars might have to offer $25-30MM guaranteed to Mack over the first three years, Cabot suggests (on Twitter).
- With more than $30MM in cap room to work with, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal looks at Cleveland’s remaining holes.