East Notes: Wallace, Williams, Alonso
Mike Wallace’s father sees the wide receiver remaining with the Dolphins, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald writes. “Right now, he’s been talking to them,” Burnell Wallace said. “He thinks he’s going to stay there. He doesn’t have a problem staying. [But] they really don’t know. I really can’t give you a definitive answer.” The Dolphins must pay Wallace a $3MM bonus if he is on the roster on March 14th. More from the AFC and NFC East..
- Starting linebacker Jacquian Williams will become a free agent and he’s unlikely to return to the Giants, Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger writes. The 26-year-old started all nine games at weakside linebacker last season, before a concussion ended his season early. He graded out positively in six of the first seven games, but finished with an overall grade of -4.0 in 2015, according to Pro Football Focus.
- Trading linebacker Kiko Alonso was one of the first things Rex Ryan wanted to do when he was hired by the Bills, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Rapoport speculates that Alonso wasn’t a good scheme fit for Ryan.
- Running back has suddenly vaulted up the Eagles‘ list of needs and Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com looked at three possibilities they could pursue in the draft and free agency. In the draft, he identifies Todd Gurley (Georgia), T.J. Yeldon (Alabama), and Ameer Abdullah (Nebraska) as possible targets. In free agency, he lists Mark Ingram, C.J. Spiller, and Justin Forsett.
- With the Eagles in the market for a running back and Reuben Frank and Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com also examine Forsett as a potential free agent target. Mosher makes the case that as a patient, methodical runner who reads blocks well, Forsett is an ideal fit for Chip Kelly‘s offense.
- John Kryk of the Toronto Sun wonders if the Bills agreed to trade for Matt Cassel for him to be their starter at quarterback or if they got him merely to push E.J. Manuel. Cassel, who turns 33 in May, started just three games for the Vikings in 2014 before a broken foot landing him on the injured reserve list, ending his season.
- John Keim of ESPN.com ran down Washington‘s potential needs on the defensive line and the players that they could look into this offseason. Of course, the list starts with Ndamukong Suh but the question is, how hard will they chase him? Washington has $25MM in cap space, but other teams have even more.
- The Jets need help at guard and Brian Costello of the New York Post identifies Mike Iupati, Orlando Franklin, James Carpenter, and Clint Boling as free agent possibilities.
East Notes: Dolphins, Suh, Dez, Maclin, McCoy
The Giants are right to consider making a run at Ndamukong Suh, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News writes. The Giants aren’t well-positioned to outbid anyone, but if they were able to pull it off, the team could have a pass rush to rival what they had in 2007 with Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, and Justin Tuck.
Here’s more from out of the NFL’s two East divisions, including one more item on Suh:
- We heard the Dolphins mentioned as a possible suitor for Suh earlier this week, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk lays out the reasons why Miami actually may emerge as the favorites to land the star defensive tackle, with teams like the Raiders, Jaguars, Buccaneers being floated for potential leverage rather than as legit bidders.
- Last week, former Dallas County DA Craig Watkins indicated that he had “no knowledge” of any 2011 Wal-Mart incident involving Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant, but a report of the incident did, in fact, make its way to his office about a year after the fact, as Florio explains at PFT.
- It looked for a little while as if the Eagles and Jeremy Maclin were getting close to a new deal, but the two sides are farther apart now, and the wideout is starting to get “nibbles,” tweets Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports backs up this assessment, tweeting that there’s “work to be done” on the Maclin front for the Eagles.
- While running back LeSean McCoy initially wasn’t thrilled about the trade that will send him to the Bills, a source tells McLane (Twitter link) that the veteran back is “ready to move on.” We rounded up several more updates on the reported swap between the Eagles and Bills earlier this morning.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap previews the Patriots‘ offseason, suggesting that it wouldn’t be a surprise if the team lets both of its free agent running backs – Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley – sign elsewhere.
- Veteran safety Jordan Pugh, who last appeared in a regular season game for Washington in 2013, recently worked out for the Jets, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Extra Points: Spiller, Bryant, Maxwell
Not long after acquiring LeSean McCoy, the Bills called C.J. Spiller to let him know that they would be parting ways this offseason. At this time, suitors with interest in Spiller include the Cardinals, Jets, Dolphins, and the 49ers, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Here’s more from around the NFL..
- Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones told SiriusXM NFL Radio (on Twitter) that franchise tagging Dez Bryant doesn’t mean that the team will allow him to play the year out as they will continue to work on a long-term deal. Jones went on to say that the team really wants DeMarco Murray back and he can’t fault a player for seeing what his options are (link). Of course, there’s a significant gulf between what Murray is asking for and what Dallas has been willing to offer so far.
- Seahawks free agent corner Byron Maxwell is signing with agent Alvin Keels, as Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun tweets. Keels also represents Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor.
- NFLPA attorney Arthur McAfee is trying to get the three nominations from player representatives to make a run the position of executive director, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter).
- Sean Gilbert is officially on the ballot in the NFLPA executive director election, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). John Stufflebeem is also on the ballot, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). Right now, there are four candidates officially on the ballot: Stufflebeem, Gilbert, Andrew Smith, and DeMaurice Smith.
- Peter King of TheMMQB.com explored the Los Angeles situation in depth this week, ultimately concluding that it’s far too early to know whether the Rams, Chargers, or Raiders – or some combination of the three – will ultimately move to L.A. However, there’s more momentum for a move than there has been in the last two decades, and NFL executive Eric Gruber expects to see at least one franchise in the country’s second-largest market within the next five years.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
AFC East Notes: Jets, Revis, Tannehill, Pats
The Jets have been involved in “serious internal discussions” about the possibility of bringing back cornerback Darrelle Revis, with owner Woody Johnson very much involved in those talks, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. The Jets’ interest in Revis is hardly news, but the closer we get to March 9 without an agreement in place between the Patriots and the star cornerback, the more likely it is that he reaches the open market next week.
Let’s round up a few more items related to the Jets and their AFC East rivals….
- While there have been rumblings in recent weeks suggesting the Jets could target C.J. Spiller in free agency, the team would like to bring back Bilal Powell and will make a “sincere effort” to re-sign him, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. Cimini estimates that Powell will land a deal that averages between $1.5MM and $2MM per year.
- Brian Costello of the New York Post examines how new Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan will approach the team’s hole at cornerback this offseason.
- Former Packers wide receiver Kevin Dorsey, who recently visited the Patriots, is working out for the Jets today, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Visits with the 49ers and Chiefs are next up on Dorsey’s schedule.
- Ryan Tannehill said today that he has yet to sit down with the Dolphins to discuss a contract extension, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. There’s no real rush for the Fins to get anything done, since Tannehill has one more year left on his rookie contract, and the club holds a team option for the 2016 season.
- As Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com details, Patriots safety Devin McCourty spoke to ESPN’s Josina Anderson yesterday after the team announced that it was franchising kicker Stephen Gostkowski, rather than McCourty. The veteran safety didn’t say anything too noteworthy in addressing his contract situation, but acknowledged that not being tagged made it more “realistic” that he could end up somewhere besides New England.
- The Patriots hired former 49ers special-teamer Bubba Ventrone today as an assistant special teams coach, as first reported by Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). Ventrone, who began his NFL career with the Pats, is just 28 years old, so the move from playing to coaching is a little surprising, but he hadn’t been under contract for the 2015 season.
East Notes: Pats, Dolphins, Suh
Bill Belichick knocked pretty much every single free agent decision out of the park last year en route to a championship, and Ben Volin of The Boston Globe is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the Patriots perplexing decision to franchise kicker Stephen Gostkowski over safety Devin McCourty. After all, at $9.6MM, that’s a steep price to pay for McCourty and the Rutgers product himself would have been thrilled to get it, even as he seeks a new long-term deal. The Patriots are playing hardball with McCourty and Darrelle Revis now, but there’s still an entire week to hammer out these deals. More from the AFC and NFC East..
- Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (via Twitter) sees the Dolphins as a wildcard candidate to land coveted defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Earlier today, we learned that Washington has interest in Suh after the Lions opted not to use the franchise tag on him.
- Giants star Jason Pierre-Paul will command a huge contract once he has the franchise tag removed, Adam Schefter tells ESPN New York’s Michael Kay (audio link).
- Veteran linebacker Brad Jones was won over by the Eagles‘ culture, prompting him to sign with them, Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com writes. “From the first day you get here … you kind of realize it’s a different kind of thing they got out here,” the former Packer said via conference call. “It’s unique. I wanted to be a part of that.”
- The Eagles overlooked adding an inside linebacker last offseason and they made sure not to repeat the same mistake this time around when they made Jones their first addition, Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
Dolphins Use Transition Tag On Charles Clay
Five players have received the franchise tag from their respective teams so far, but until now, we hadn’t had a transition tag sighting yet this season. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Dolphins are the first team to make use of that tag this season, assigning it to tight end Charles Clay.
The transition tag typically isn’t used as often as the franchise tag, since it allows the player to sign an offer sheet with another team and leave without any compensatory draft picks, assuming his previous club chooses not to match the offer. However, we saw it surface a couple times last year — the Steelers assigned it to Jason Worilds, who played the 2014 season on the one-year tender offer, and the Browns used it on Alex Mack, eventually matching an offer sheet from the Jaguars.
By placing the transition tag on Clay, the Dolphins are extending a one-year offer worth $7.071MM. The tight end can sign that tender offer anytime, as long as the team doesn’t withdraw it, and he’ll also be free to explore the open market as of next week. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets that three or four rival suitors are interested in Clay – the Bills have been mentioned as one interested party – but the transition tag may diminish the enthusiasm for him on the open market.
Clay, who turned 26 last month, saw his numbers dip a little in 2014 after he set career highs with 69 receptions, 759 yards, and three touchdowns in his breakout 2013 season. However, Clay isn’t alone at the top of this year’s tight end market as a player whose stock slipped a little as he neared free agency. A sprained ankle derailed Julius Thomas‘ 2014 season, and an injury-plagued campaign for Jordan Cameron ensured that his numbers fell off even more precipitously than Clay’s.
If the Dolphins do bring Clay back, either at the $7MM+ transition price, or on a long-term deal at a slightly lesser number, they should have no problem fitting him into their 2015 cap plans. The team has already parted ways with Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, Cortland Finnegan, and Nate Garner, and there could be more cuts on the way, including perhaps Mike Wallace.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dolphins Cut Cortland Finnegan, Nate Garner
The Dolphins began making cap-related cuts last week when they released wide receivers Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson, and the team is far from done. According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter), the club parted ways with cornerback Cortland Finnegan today. Barry Jackson of the Herald adds (via Twitter) that agent Drew Pittman has confirmed the team is also releasing his client, offensive lineman Nate Garner, who is still dealing with concussion-related issues.
Finnegan, 31, was one of the league’s worst corners in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus advanced metrics (subscription required). PFF ranked Finnegan 109th out of 110 qualified corners, with a grade of -19.7 in just seven games. So it came as a bit of a surprise when Miami inked the former Ram to a two-year, $11MM deal last offseason. Finnegan was a little better for the Dolphins, but still placed just 74th out of 108 corners, with a -4.4 grade in 2014, per PFF.
By cutting Finnegan, the Dolphins will remove his $5.45MM base salary and a $25K workout bonus from their books for 2015, reducing his $6.475MM cap hit to just $1MM in dead money.
As for Garner, he missed a chunk of the 2014 season due to ongoing headache and migraine issues, and it’s not clear if he’ll continue his playing career, or if he’ll even be able to. The offensive lineman’s release creates $1.65MM in cap savings for the Dolphins, leaving just $167K in dead money on the books for 2015.
AFC Notes: Fins, Broncos, FA Targets, Ravens
Always among the biggest players in free agency, the Dolphins will look to fill several holes when the new league year begins next week. Corner, defensive tackle, and linebacker are among the positions that could use upgrades in South Beach, and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald offers several names that could be of interest to the Fins. Per Jackson, the Dolphins have internally discussed both Kareem Jackson and Brandon Flowers at corner, and the club also wants to re-sign Jimmy Wilson.
Along the defensive line, Miami is interested in Tom Johnson, Corey Peters, and Terrance Knighton, the latter of whom, as Jackson adds, will be the most expensive. Kenrick Ellis is viewed as a “backup option,” while Haloti Ngata will be on the Dolphins’ radar if he’s released by the Ravens. At linebacker, Jackson has previously reported that Miami is intrigued by David Harris, Mason Foster, and Dan Skuta.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- Like the Dolphins, the Broncos are expected to be heavily involved in free agency, as they have been for the duration of GM John Elway’s reign. According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, the Broncos will target a variety of positions next week, with offensive line, safety, tight end, and defensive end among them. Center Rodney Hudson, edge defender Pernell McPhee, and and tight end Charles Clay all figure to spark Denver’s interest, per Klis, who adds that center is the one position where the Broncos will surely add a high-profile free agent.
- Ravens cornerback Victor Hampton was arrested for DWI last night, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Hampton was signed to a futures deal in January, and given Baltimore’s low-tolerance for off-the-field incidents at the moment, Aaron Wilson of the Sun (via Twitter) doesn’t see Hampton ever setting foot on a field for the Ravens.
- The Raiders haven’t officially released safety Tyvon Branch, leading Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap to believe (Twitter link) that Branch will be designated a post-June 1 cut. Such releases can’t be formalized until the new league year begins next week.
- In a full-length piece, Fitzgerald takes a look at the Colts’ cap situation as they head into free agency. Check out PFR’s Connor Byrne’s Indianapolis outlook here.
WR Rumors: Marshall, V-Jax, Wallace, Harvin
With Reggie Wayne‘s NFL future still up in the air, the Colts have explored the possibility of bringing in a veteran wide receiver to start opposite T.Y. Hilton, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). According to Cole, the team has internally discussed players like Brandon Marshall, Andre Johnson, Mike Wallace, and Vincent Jackson as potential targets. Not all of those players will become available in the next few weeks, but one or more could be traded or released, and if the Colts had their pick, Marshall may be their top choice, per Cole.
While we wait to see if any opportunities open up for the Colts, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com has a few more tidbits for us on the wide receiver market. Let’s dive in….
- Cole noted in the above video that Jackson likely isn’t going anywhere, and La Canfora agrees that it looks like he’ll be back with the Buccaneers. However, it doesn’t seem as if Jackson will be willing to take a pay cut, sources tell La Canfora.
- La Canfora also touches on the Marshall situation, noting that if a team were to call asking about a possible trade, “it’s not like [the Bears] wouldn’t pick up the phone.”
- According to multiple general managers, Wallace is the only wideout being “actively shopped” at the moment. The Dolphins continue to explore a deal, and La Canfora suggests Wallace himself would be interested in returning to the Steelers, though it’s not clear if that interest is mutual. $3MM of Wallace’s base salary for 2015 becomes guaranteed on March 13, so that may act as a deadline of sorts for Miami.
- Percy Harvin won’t accept a pay cut to stick with the Jets, and trading him would likely be impossible, so he looks like a good bet to be cut. If that happens, many teams would want to pick him up on a short-term deal, says La Canfora.
- We can expect the Dwayne Bowe situation to come to a head soon — paying him $11MM with a $14MM cap hit is a luxury the Chiefs can’t afford, so Bowe may be willing to accept a pay cut, knowing he won’t make close to that amount on the open market.
- With cap numbers for Anquan Boldin and Stevie Johnson on the rise, and Michael Crabtree and Brandon Lloyd eligible for free agency, La Canfora wouldn’t be surprised if only one of those four players returns to the 49ers for next season — if that.
- Johnson and the Texans had a bit of a stand-off a year ago, and with the veteran wideout carrying a $16MM into the 2015 season, the two sides may be headed for another interesting summer. La Canfora isn’t convinced Johnson will remain in Houston long-term, but says “time will tell.”
- Two Dolphins wideouts have already been released today, and according to Armando Salguero the Miami Herald (Twitter links), Rishard Matthews asked the team to be cut or traded as well. However, Miami has denied that request for now, says Salguero.
Dolphins Cut Brandon Gibson
After releasing Brian Hartline earlier in the day, the Dolphins have cut ties with a second wide receiver, announcing (via Twitter) that Brandon Gibson has been dropped. Gibson had been set to enter the final season of a three-year contract.
A former Ram, Gibson joined the Dolphins prior to the 2013 season, and put up nearly identical numbers in his first two seasons with the club. Of course, in 2013, when he grabbed 30 balls for 326 yards and three touchdowns, he did so in just seven games. In 2014, he totaled 29 receptions for 295 yards and a TD in 14 contests.
Gibson carried a cap hit of $4.26MM for 2015, and the Dolphins will clear all but $1MM of that number from their books by cutting him. The move creates $3.26MM in cap savings, potentially helping to clear the way for a new contract for free-agent-to-be tight end Charles Clay.
By cutting both Hartline and Gibson today, the Dolphins are moving closer to a total overhaul of their receiving corps. For now, Mike Wallace remains on the roster, but he’s a candidate to be released or traded. If Miami parts ways with Wallace, the club’s 2015 receivers will likely be led by 2014 draftee Jarvis Landry, with the ‘Fins potentially adding new wideouts in the draft and/or free agency.