Rams Not Tipping Hand On Finnegan
Rams cornerback Cortland Finnegan‘s second season in St. Louis was a disaster, as he struggled to play through a fractured orbital bone before hitting Injured Reserve. Because of his scheduled $10MM cap hit, speculation suggests he’s on the chopping block, but ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner explains a more optimistic scenario in which Finnegan restructures his five-year, $50MM deal and stays in St. Louis.
Head coach Jeff Fisher said he expects Finnegan in the team’s off-season program and GM Les Snead did not sound intent of severing ties with the veteran corner, who is considered a positive locker-room presence and secondary leader. “What we want to do is get the cap where we don’t have to make a non-football decision,” said Snead, who acknowledged that Finnegan’s injury caused headaches and vision issues. “First of all, get him healthy and then with [defensive coordinator] Gregg [Williams] coming in figure out where we all fit. In this league, like pass-rushers, corners that can go inside and play nickel, you can’t have enough of those people.”
Rams Notes: Saffold, Bradford, Williams
Here are a few Friday updates on the Rams:
- The offensive line will be a priority for the Rams this offseason, though GM Les Snead expects there to be more clarity in a few weeks once some contract situations are sorted out and injuries continue to heal. Meanwhile, coach Jeff Fisher says he would have “no reservations” about taking an offensive lineman in the first round, says Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
- Fisher and Snead both emphasized the importance of re-signing free agent guard Rodger Saffold, according to Wagoner (via Twitter). Meanwhile, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic hears that the Cardinals would have interest in Saffold if he and the Rams don’t reach an agreement before March 11.
- Snead says the Rams talked to Sam Bradford‘s camp last spring about a contract extension, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Wagoner adds (via Twitter) that Snead suggested those discussions are “ongoing and active.”
- Free agent offensive lineman Chris Williams and the Rams have mutual interest in working out a new agreement, according to Fisher (Twitter link via Wagoner).
- Auburn tackle Greg Robinson said he met with the Rams for a formal interview on Thursday night, tweets Wagoner.
NFC Notes: Orton, Saffold, Hardy, Palmer
Kyle Orton has a year remaining on his contract with the Cowboys, but the team isn’t entirely sure that he’ll be back for the 2014 season, Clarence Hill and Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram hear from executive VP Stephen Jones and multiple sources. Orton is mulling the idea of retiring, and figures to make his decision before the new league year begins on March 11. If the Cowboys’ backup does call it a career, quarterback will become an even stronger area of focus for the club in free agency and the draft.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- The Rams will meet with Rodger Saffold‘s agent tomorrow to discuss a new contract for the offensive tackle, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Speaking to the NFL Network about free agent defensive end Greg Hardy, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said that GM Dave Gettleman told him they’re working to get something done with Hardy (Twitter link via Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer).
- Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians told reporters, including Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (Twitter link), that he thinks quarterback Carson Palmer can play until he’s 36 or 37. That would mean another two or three seasons for the Arizona signal-caller.
- The 49ers haven’t had trade discussions involving LaMichael James, according to GM Trent Baalke, who says the running back will “continue to be a 49er” (Twitter link via Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee). A report earlier this month indicated James could be on the trade block this offseason.
- We rounded up several NFC East items earlier today.
Panthers Tops In “Dead Money”
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.
NFC Notes: Delmas, Falcons, Panthers
The Eagles will be targeting safeties this offseason in an effort to upgrade their secondary, but veteran free agent Louis Delmas doesn’t appear to be on their wish list, according to Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. A source tells Frank that the Eagles have “little interest” in the former Lion, who was released by Detroit last week, and that disinterest is likely related to Delmas’ health. While the 26-year-old free safety started all 16 games in 2013, he has had surgeries on both knees in recent years, and missed 13 of 32 regular season contests in 2011 and 2012.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- In a Tuesday news release, CBS Sports confirmed that Tony Gonzalez will be joining the network’s pregame studio show, replacing the departing Dan Marino and Shannon Sharpe. The new job for Gonzalez essentially rules out a return to the field in 2014, meaning the Falcons will get $7MM in cap savings, as ESPN’s Adam Caplan outlines (via Twitter).
- Noting that the Panthers haven’t really begun negotiating with any of their prospective free agents yet, ESPN.com’s David Newton says there’s no reason to get worked up about Cam Newton‘s contract situation, since he’ll get paid eventually, whether it happens this offseason or down the line.
- The Cowboys will have to lock up wide receiver Dez Bryant and left tackle Tyron Smith at some point, and Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com believes a new deal for Smith should take precedence.
- Following up on the latest Sam Bradford rumors, Andrew Cohen of OverTheCap.com breaks down the four scenarios for the Rams: Releasing Bradford, extending him with a pay cut, extending him without a pay cut, and standing pat.
Draft Notes: Browns, Rams, Manziel, Ravens
On a conference call with reporters today, draft expert Mike Mayock of NFL Network said 2014’s draft class is the deepest in the last 10 years, adding that having a top-20 pick this year is the equivalent of having a top-10 pick in 2013 (Twitter link via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune). Teams searching for receiving help are in especially good position, since this looks like the best WR class in years, according to Mayock (Twitter link via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald). Here are a few more draft-related links, as the 2014 combine nears:
- While Mayock has discussed several specific players and their stocks during his conference call, one of his more interesting comments was about the depth in the draft at offensive tackle and cornerback. As Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets, Mayock believes there will be quality tackles and cornerbacks available in the third or fourth rounds, perhaps even players who could start for NFL teams.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com has published his initial estimates for the rookie pool amounts available to all 32 NFL teams this May. The Browns and Rams, each armed with an extra first-round pick, lead the way with over $9MM+ in projected first-year bonus money.
- Having met extensively with top prospect Johnny Manziel, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle came away extremely impressed with the Texas A&M quarterback, and believes Manziel would be the Texans’ best choice for the first overall pick.
- The Ravens will be eyeing running backs in the draft, and Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com suggests a few names that should be on the club’s radar.
- The NFL has released the schedule detailing when many of the league’s head coaches and general managers will be speaking to the media this weekend at the combine. You can find the specifics right here.
Sam Bradford’s Future With Rams
TUESDAY, 10:33am: Appearing on Mike and Mike in the Morning today, Rams coach Jeff Fisher gave Bradford a vote of confidence, reiterating that the former No. 1 pick will be the team’s quarterback to start the 2014 season (link via Pro Football Talk). However, Fisher was noncommittal about the idea of an extension for Bradford, suggesting that the Rams “talk about extensions with all our players under contract.” GM Les Snead also weighed in on the possibility today, telling ESPN’s Ed Werder (Twitter link), “We have been – and still are – open to extending Sam.”
MONDAY, 6:56pm: It is unclear whether or not the Rams and quarterback Sam Bradford are working on a contract extension, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. As Florio notes, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported today that the team had no intention of extending Bradford. Flying in the face of that report was a quote from Rams COO Kevin Demoff directly contradicting the statement.
“We’ve decided Bradford is our guy. If they wanted to do a contract extension, we would do it,” Demoff said (via Twitter).
That quote came back in September, before Bradford tore his ACL and was forced to miss the majority of the 2013 season. Florio also writes that when Demoff declared Bradford to be the quarterback of the future, other members of the organization were less than convinced.
La Canfora later heard from another source that the Rams would be open to an extension for Bradford. However, even with that update, he notes that it would still be a surprise for the two parties to reach an extension, writing that “adding guaranteed money beyond the current deal would make it cumbersome for the team to part with Bradford.”
The perfect juxtaposition to what is going on with Bradford and the Rams is the Cam Newton contract situation. These two players have contracts that will forever be linked. Bradford of course, was drafted first overall in 2010, negotiating a lucrative contract of six years and $78MM, with $50MM in guaranteed money before he had ever played an NFL game. Just one year and one CBA negotiation later, Newton was the first overall pick in 2011. Newton’s contract was very different. The Panthers signed him to a four year contract worth $22MM.
This season, Newton’s contract is coming into its option year, and the sports world is preparing for him to finally start looking for his big contract with huge guaranteed money. Bradford, on the other hand, already got his huge contract, a deal that most fans and writers would argue that he did not come close of living up to.
As of the most recent reports, neither player has been engaged of talks of extension yet. While most fans and NFL people would agree that Newton has been better, maybe even far better, than Bradford through their first contracts, both players still have plenty to prove before signing their next deals. The only difference is that Bradford has already made twice as much money on his first contract, simply by virtue of entering the league one year earlier
DB Notes: Delmas, Finnegan, Ward
Saftey Louis Delmas will start off his free agent tour by meeting with the Steelers, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Delmas, 26, was released by the Lions on February 13. After missing time due to injuries in 2011-12, Delmas played all 16 games in 2013, finishing with 64 tackles and three interceptions, while grading out better against the pass than the run, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Steelers‘ interest derives from two factors: the impending free agency of Ryan Clark, and the contract of Troy Polamalu. Clark is 34 years old and struggled last season, and while Polamalu is still playing at a high level, he has a cap number of approximately $10.9MM, and was listed among Joel Corry’s list of pay cut candidates. Florio suggests that signing Delmas could give the Steelers leverage when asking Polamalu to reduce his salary.
A few more notes regarding defensive backs:
- Rams cornerback Cortland Finnegan struggled mightily last season, ranking as the second-worst corner in the league according to Pro Football Focus, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport speculates he could be a candidate for release (via Twitter). Cutting Finnegan would save the Rams $4MM against the cap.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com responded to Rapoport’s tweet, and noted that Finnegan is guaranteed $3MM in base salary, so asking him to take a pay cut, at least initially, would make the most fiscal sense.
- Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com has an extensive breakdown of safety T.J. Ward using All-22 footage, and speculates he could be a fit for the Eagles. Ward played under Eagles coach Chip Kelly while at Oregon.
- Continuing the Eagles-safety theme, Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com takes a look at several options to improve the defensive backfield woes in Philadelphia.
- While there will be much interest in Ward, the Browns don’t intend to let him get away, according to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com.
NFC West Notes: Boldin, 49ers, Combine
Anquan Boldin and the 49ers are working on a long-term contract, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Wilson’s sources give the impression that an extension is likely, and the team would like to put the deal together prior to the start of free agency. Here are some other notes from around the NFC West:
- With Colt McCoy entering free agency, the 49ers have a question mark at backup quarterback, writes Bryan Knowles of Bleacher Report. While the easiest option would be to re-sign McCoy, Knowles lays out a few other players who could fill the void, including Josh McCown and Josh Freeman.
- The Rams are set up to have another huge draft haul thanks to the Robert Griffin III trade. Steven Gerwel of Bleacher Report put together a list of prospects the team will be looking at closely during the scouting combine next week.
- The Seahawks have three offensive lineman reaching free agency this offseason, but Brian Nemhauser of SeattlePI.com does not expect them to make a splash at the position this offseason. Instead, he sees the team looking to add some depth to the core they have in place.
Young Stars In Line For Payday
The NFL published its “All-Under-25” team, highlighting the league’s best players under the age of 25. From a contractual standpoint, five stand out as free agents to be at the conclusion of the 2014 season:
- Rams defensive end Robert Quinn – Everyone knew Quinn was dripping with upside when the Rams picked him the first round of the 2011 draft, and the pass rusher extraordinaire’s third season was something to behold. Quinn was an unblockable one-man wrecking crew, garnering NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors and putting himself in position to break the bank on his second deal.
- Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith – Knocking on the door of elite status at a critical position, Smith is expected to get a mega contract extension to ensure the safety of Tony Romo‘s blind side.
- Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson – Did not have as many impact plays in 2013, but is a three-time Pro Bowler and legitimate No. 1 coverman at a time when big cornerbacks are in high demand.
- Bengals middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict – Pre-draft character concerns which knocked him off draft boards and seem like a distant memory now. Burfict played at an elite level, leading the league with 171 tackles. If he behaves himself for another year, he’ll receive an exponential bump from his six-figure 2014 salary.
- Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey – A stout run defender, Casey’s sack production jumped from 5.5 2011-2012 to 10.5 in 2013 when he was one of the most balanced interior defenders in the league.