Rams Want To Extend Alec Ogletree, Tavon Austin
Flush with nearly $60MM in cap space heading into the 2016 league year, the Rams will seek to extend one exciting young player on each side of the ball, as Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News reports (Twitter link) that the club is likely to open negotiations later this offseason on long-term deals for linebacker Alec Ogletree and receiver Tavon Austin.
[RELATED: Rams leaning towards using franchise tag on CB Trumaine Johnson]
This isn’t the first report to indicate that an Ogletree extension could be forthcoming, as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported earlier this month that the Rams would meet with Ogletree’s representatives at the combine. General manager Les Snead has also indicated that coming to an agreement with Ogletree would be a priority this offseason.
The 24-year-old Ogletree had an injury-plagued season in 2015, as he played in only four games before being placed on injured reserve/designated to return after undergoing ankle surgery. Due to the designation, he wasn’t eligible to return to game action until Week 16, and due to either his condition or the inconsequential nature of the Rams’ final two contests, Ogletree never got back on the field. A career weakside linebacker, Ogletree is expected to move to the middle in 2016 to replace James Laurinaitis, especially if Los Angeles is able to re-sign Mark Barron to play the WILL.
Austin, like Ogletree a member of the Rams’ 2013 draft class, had a breakout campaign in 2015, posting career highs in starts, receptions, yards, and touchdowns, and was also a factor in the ground game, rushing for more than 400 yards and scoring 4 times. Austin, who will turn 25 next month, also averaged 7.8 yards per punt return and brought one back for a touchdown. Former offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, for all his faults, helped Austin to the best season of his career, and it’s open question as to whether new play-caller Rob Boras can continue to aid Austin’s development.
The Rams can control Ogletree and Austin through the 2017 season via the fifth-year option — given that the club is intent on extending both players, exercising the options should be a foregone conclusion. Because he as a top-10 selection, Austin would be entitled to the value of the 2017 wide receiver transition tag value, which should be worth around $13MM. Ogletree’s salary would be a bit more complicated, as it would be determined by the average of the third through 25th top salaries among linebackers.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rams Leaning Toward Franchise-Tagging Trumaine Johnson
We heard last night that the Rams were prepared to use their franchise tag on either one of their starting cornerbacks. Los Angeles appears to be leaning toward protecting Trumaine Johnson with the tag, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (on Twitter).
Johnson’s market may be accelerating over the past week and may be worth more than Janoris Jenkins. Last weekend, the fifth-year corner was being discussed as a transition tag candidate but now his stock may have climbed to a point the Rams need to exhaust their top preservation measure in order to retain the breakout performer.
Using the franchise tag on Johnson will cost the Rams $13.95MM as opposed to the transition tag’s $11.91MM charge. The latter tactic, though, wouldn’t cost a prospective team that signs Johnson to fork over two first-round picks to the Rams in exchange.
The Rams have until March 1 to decide whether or not to apply the franchise tag to the 6-foot-1 Johnson, a former third-round pick who emerged in his contract year.
Jenkins, the team’s second-round pick in 2012, would become a more coveted commodity with Johnson off the market. The 27-year-old started 58 games in his career, whereas Johnson’s started just 33. Thirteen of those starts came last season, when Johnson finished as Pro Football Focus’ No. 19-rated corner.
The 5-10 Jenkins rated as the No. 26 corner on the 2015 list. If this plan comes to fruition, and the Panthers tag Josh Norman as they’re expected to, Jenkins’ asking price could go up, with pool of top-tier available corners diminishing.
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images
Rams Prepared To Tag Jenkins Or Johnson
The Rams have told others that they’re prepared to use the franchise or transition tag in order to retain one of their free agent cornerbacks, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). According to La Canfora, the club is still deciding whether to tag Janoris Jenkins or Trumaine Johnson.
La Canfora’s report is similar to one from Jason Cole of Bleacher Report earlier today. Cole indicated that the Rams would likely use a tag to retain one of their two free agent cornerbacks, adding that the team has offered five-year contract to Jenkins. Per Cole, Los Angeles has yet to make a formal multiyear offer to Johnson, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the club prefers Jenkins, or won’t re-sign Johnson.
When I examined potential franchise-tag candidates earlier this month, I didn’t mention either Jenkins or Johnson, since I didn’t expect the Rams to want to commit to a 2016 salary of nearly $14MM for either player. Since then, however, the team has released several pricey veterans, including defensive end Chris Long, tight end Jared Cook, and linebacker James Laurinaitis. Already armed with plenty of cap flexibility before making those moves, the Rams now have nearly $60MM in space, per Over the Cap, which gives the club more leeway to overspend on a one-year contract.
Coming into the 2015 season, Johnson had started just 20 career games, compared to Jenkins’ 43 total starts. Although conventional thinking suggests Jenkins is the more valuable defensive back, Johnson arguably looked like the better player in 2015, as PFR’s Zach Links wrote in his preview of the Rams’ offseason. Johnson racked up seven interceptions and 17 passes defended, earning a higher Pro Football Focus grade than his teammate.
Assuming the Rams use their franchise or transition tag on one of these two cornerbacks by Tuesday, the team will then have another eight days to try to secure the other player to an extension before he reaches the open market on March 9th.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Free Agent Rumors: Okung, Rams, V. Miller
Offensive tackle Russell Okung, who will be representing himself in free agency, confirmed to Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com that he has had some conversations with the Seahawks about a new deal. According to Okung, the two sides have been “going back and forth” and still may “figure something out” before the veteran tackle hits the open market.
“It’s very possible that I could stay here,” Okung said. “But I know my value, and I’m not going to settle for anything less than that. If it works out, great. And if it doesn’t, that’s great as well.”
Let’s check out a few more Friday updates on pending free agents around the NFL….
- The Rams have made a five-year contract offer to cornerback Janoris Jenkins, but haven’t yet formally proposed a multiyear deal to their other free agent corner, Trumaine Johnson, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the team prefers Jenkins, or won’t re-sign Johnson. Cole believes that one of the two free agent corners will get a franchise or transition tag from Los Angeles, which would allow the club to focus on negotiations with the other player.
- While the secondary remains their top priority, the Rams would also like to re-sign veteran center Tim Barnes, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “The plan at center is, hey, I’ll give Tim Barnes credit, he’s one of those guys we’d like to get back,” GM Les Snead said. “At the end of the day, we didn’t think he was a weak link so we definitely want to get him back.”
- According to Cole (video link), the Broncos and Von Miller‘s reps are meeting at the combine, but the expectation from Miller’s side is that the team will use its franchise tag on the star pass rusher rather than getting a long-term deal done within the next few days.
- The Panthers met in Indianapolis with Josh Norman‘s agent, but didn’t make a whole lot of progress, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. Still, talks are expected to continue, and Norman is a franchise tag candidate if the two sides can’t reach an agreement by March 1st.
- The Falcons met with the representatives for restricted free agent linebacker Paul Worrilow about the possibility of a contract – or at least an RFA tender – but no decisions were made, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Extra Points: Saints, Carroll, Kaep, Texans
Saints head coach Sean Payton told NFL Network on Thursday that a contract extension for quarterback Drew Brees “will get done very easily,” per Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com. General manager Mickey Loomis said earlier this month that he wants to lock up Brees, whose deal expires after next season. Loomis also stated at the time that he and Tom Condon, Brees’ agent, hadn’t yet spoken about an extension. That changed at the combine, where Loomis and Condon met, according to Payton.
In a different interview, Payton told Pro Football Talk that offensive guard and the defensive front seven will be the Saints’ main concerns in free agency and the draft (Twitter link via Dabe). Earlier this month, the Saints cut guard Jahri Evans and two front seven defenders, linebackers David Hawthorne and Ramon Humber.
Other news from around the NFL:
- Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told the Los Angeles Times’ Gary Klein that he has no interest in returning to USC to become its athletic director (Twitter link). Carroll, of course, led USC to an 83-19 mark as its football coach from 2001-09.
- Colin Kaepernick‘s contract – a middle-of-the-road deal for a quarterback – shouldn’t scare off possible suitors, writes Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. If the 49ers do trade Kaepernick, which looks like a distinct possibility, Fitzgerald lists six teams as potential fits. He expects the Niners to seek a second-round pick in return.
- The Texans have met with guard Brandon Brooks‘ representatives at the combine, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Brooks, a pending free agent, has started in each of his last 44 appearances.
- The Falcons have not yet made any decisions regarding Devin Hester‘s status with the team, according to GM Thomas Dimitroff, who says that won’t happen until after Hester is fully recovered from his toe surgery (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com).
- The Saints ($42K), Broncos ($267K) and Rams ($1.245MM) opted against carrying over their full allotment of space from 2015, tweets Pro Football Talk. The Broncos’ motivation was to prevent other playoff teams from signing their practice squad players during the postseason, according to PFT’s Mike Florio. Each team has to make its call on carryover space at the end of the regular season. The Saints and Rams didn’t make the playoffs, so it’s currently unclear why they left their respective amounts behind. The list of all 32 clubs’ carryover totals can be found here.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
NFLPA Announces Cap Carryover Amounts
The NFL Players Association issued a press release today announcing the salary cap carryover amounts for all 32 NFL teams for the 2016 season. The official salary cap amount for 2016 has yet to be announced by the league, but it’s expected to be in the neighborhood of $155MM+. When that figures becomes official, it can be added to each team’s carryover amount to determine that club’s official cap for 2016.
According to the press release, the Broncos, Rams, and the Saints are the only teams that opted not to carry over the full amount available to them, though none of those clubs are believed to have left significant amounts on the table.
Here are the salary cap carryover amounts for 2016, per the NFLPA, from highest to lowest:
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $32,774,928
- Tennessee Titans: $20,783,801
- Cleveland Browns: $20,734,144
- Oakland Raiders: $13,373,617
- San Francisco 49ers: $12,206,686
- New York Giants: $11,193,231
- Miami Dolphins: $9,137,544
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $7,987,748
- Cincinnati Bengals: $7,587,902
- Philadelphia Eagles: $7,255,362
- Green Bay Packers: $6,953,847
- Washington: $5,837,734
- Indianapolis Colts: $4,950,629
- Buffalo Bills: $4,467,331
- Atlanta Falcons: $3,905,771
- Carolina Panthers: $3,731,200
- Dallas Cowboys: $3,571,239
- Denver Broncos: $3,300,000
- Arizona Cardinals: $3,031,663
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $3,000,327
- Kansas City Chiefs: $2,622,838
- New York Jets: $2,484,216
- San Diego Chargers: $2,287,176
- Minnesota Vikings: $2,090,409
- Houston Texans: $1,637,055
- Baltimore Ravens: $1,633,944
- New Orleans Saints: $1,400,000
- New England Patriots: $1,347,882
- Los Angeles Rams: $933,521
- Chicago Bears: $867,589
- Detroit Lions: $862,191
- Seattle Seahawks: $11,587
Rams Rumors: Keenum, Foles, Ogletree
Here’s a look at the Los Angeles Rams:
- Jeff Fisher reiterated that Case Keenum is going into the 2016 season as the starter, as Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Still, he says that veteran Nick Foles has a chance to compete for the job. The Eagles were rumored to have trade interest in Foles earlier this month, but even if they did like Foles, his cap number and dead money charge mean that a trade is unlikely.
- Still, Fisher says there’s a “good chance there will be one, maybe two new quarterbacks on roster” by training camp, as Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets.
- The Rams have a meeting scheduled with Alec Ogletree‘s agent this week at the Combine, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter) and he says an extension is looming. Ogletree, 25, suffered a right ankle injury in the fall and underwent surgery to repair the damage. He was placed on IR-DTR but he did not return later in the year. The Rams will have to decide on Ogletree’s fifth-year option for 2017 this year.
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.
Extra Points: Manziel, Laurinaitis, Draft
2:25pm: Dallas PD could conclude its Manziel investigation by next week, the Associated Press reports.
12:03pm: The Dallas Police Department issued an update Saturday regarding its investigation of domestic violence claims against Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. The Dallas PD’s statement comes courtesy of Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link):
“On February 5, 2016, Dallas Police Department detectives began investigating a complaint of a domestic violence assault that occurred in Dallas on January 30, 2016, in which Jonathan Manziel was the listed suspect. Up to this point in the investigation, detectives have continued communicating with the complainant, interviewed witnesses, received medical records from the complainant, and obtained video from surveillance cameras. Detectives are continuing with their efforts to fully investigate the facts of this case. As this remains an on-going investigation, no details of the investigation will be released at this time. We would like to finish the investigation as soon as possible, but detectives work around the victim’s and witnesses’ schedules which can sometimes delay the process. As of today, there has been no determination as to what type of charge, if any, will be filed against Mr. Manziel. Updates to this case will be made as information comes available.”
The surveillance video mentioned in the statement is from the Hotel ZaZa, where Collen Crowley claims Manziel’s assault on her began, reports Pat McManamon of ESPN.com. As McManamon writes, Crowley stated in an affidavit that she told a hotel valet that she was scared for her life, and Manziel subsequently threw her in the passenger seat of his car. The Dallas PD has the video of Crowley’s encounter with the valet along with other surveillance, per McManamon.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Linebacker James Laurinaitis, whom the Rams cut Friday after he started 112 straight games for the club, was taken aback by his release. “I didn’t see this one coming,” he told Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I thought maybe at worst, a pay cut. I still felt like I was producing.” The 29-year-old is fresh off his seventh consecutive 100-tackle season since entering the league in 2009 and, more impressively, has never missed a game. However, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated his 2015-16 performance an ugly 83rd out of 97 qualifying LBs.
- Although Terron Beckham – cousin of Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. – didn’t play college football, the 23-year-old is hoping to catch on in the NFL as a running back. The 5-foot-11, 230-pounder will have a chance to impress scouts on Feb. 25 at a “shadow combine” in Indianapolis, reports Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. The event is for draft hopefuls who aren’t invited to next week’s national scouting combine or any regional combines. Terron Beckham, who’s a trainer and fitness model, says he’s “Marshawn Lynch and [Adrian Peterson] transformed into one person.” Despite that glowing self-assessment, he’s “an extreme long shot” to end up in the league, a personnel executive told Hubbuch. Further, it’s unknown if Beckham is even eligible for the draft, per Hubboch, as neither he nor his agent have called the league office to find out.
- Speaking of the draft, teams are concerned about Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook‘s leadership abilities, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets. Cook can, however, allay those fears at the combine, Breer adds. MSU tightly restricts scouts at practice, per Breer (Twitter link), which means they haven’t been able to watch Cook interact with teammates.
- The stock of Louisiana Tech QB Jeff Driskel is rising, perhaps as high as the second round, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. “I like Driskel,” an AFC scouting director told Wilson. “He can still use more polish, but he’s got a big arm and can move and seems very coachable. I could see him being drafted higher than most people think. He helped himself a lot.”
Rams CEO Kevin Demoff On Cuts, CBs, L.A.
The Rams made some of the most notable cuts since this offseason Friday by releasing James Laurinaitis, Chris Long and Jared Cook. Team CEO Kevin Demoff told Vincent Bonsignore of InsideSoCal.com the veterans, especially long-tenured Rams Long and Laurinaitis, deserved an advanced opportunity to catch on with other teams.
“We weren’t entirely positive moving forward on the best fits for these guys, and when you head into the combine, and with everything going on with the change in our offseason, we didn’t want people to move their families, come out here and maybe go into camp on uncertain footing. Especially guys like (James) and Chris, who have been the longest-tenured players on our team. They deserved the clarity; they deserved the chance to go into free agency and be free agents and not have it dangled.”
Demoff did not rule out any of the three returning but knows that’s the less likely route.
“When (head coach) Jeff (Fisher) and (general manager) Les (Snead) and I talked to them today, we all wished them well and we would never close the door on that as a potential option. But when you make these kinds of moves it’s always with the understanding it’s likely the players won’t come back by their choice or by our choice. Could we bring them back? Sure. But rather than talk to them about a pay cut, it’s better for them to see the market and understand the market, and then if they want to come back we can revisit those discussions at a later time.”
Los Angeles also has decisions to make on whether to retain Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson, who are two of the top cornerbacks on this year’s free agent market, should they get there. Last night, we heard Johnson could be a transition tag candidate. Demoff told Bonsignore negotiations between the Rams and the corners have been ongoing.
“We’ve been talking to Janoris and Trumaine for over a year and we’ve been close to deals at times and we’ve been far apart on deals at times. It’s a process. I think the great part is, they both love playing for coach Fisher, they’re excited about the move to Los Angeles, they want to be part of this.”
Since relocating in January, the Rams are still in search of a training camp home as well as a place to conduct OTAs. Demoff said finding a permanent practice facility for the team won’t come until much later in 2016, but he expects the bulk of these location-based decisions to be made by March 1.
“We are looking mainly at Oxnard for the offseason workouts. It’s a turn-key facility with what the Cowboys have done up there. From there – the Cowboys will be coming back in July – we need to find a new training camp home and we’ve talked to a number of different universities about that opportunity. We’re looking for what I call permanent/temporary space all around Los Angeles, with a focus on the (San Fernando) Valley area.”
Demoff stressed the pressure to win isn’t necessarily greater than it was in St. Louis but views 2016 as a seminal year in terms of attracting Southern California-stationed fans and turning them into Rams supporters. The Rams haven’t made the playoffs since 2004. Their final five years in Los Angeles, 1990-94, also didn’t feature a playoff berth after the franchise appeared in 14 playoff brackets — in four- and five-team fields, respectively — between 1973 and 1989.
“We’ve been at the cusp. But we need to make sure we develop a winner. That’s true every year. But I think you’d be naive to think it doesn’t play a bigger role this year than it has past years. Not that your try more or you care any more, but I do think the microscope and the spotlight are on our organization in a way it has not been the last few years.”
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images