Dolphins Rumors: Hartline, Wallace, Skuta
The Dolphins made a roster move this morning, announcing the release of wide receiver Brian Hartline, which will create more than $3MM in cap savings. A few of today’s Dolphins-related rumors stem directly from that transaction, so let’s dive in and round them up….
- According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, Hartline had been open to the idea of reducing his salary to remain with the Dolphins, but the team is not believed to have made an offer. A source close to Hartline tells Salguero that the wideout is disappointed by the move, but would like to land with a team closer to his native Ohio, and will prioritize clubs with accomplished quarterbacks. The Colts are one possibility, per Salguero.
- Following up on a Thursday report that suggested Mike Wallace isn’t interested in restructuring his contract, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald confirms that the receiver is at least uninterested in taking a pay cut. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk confirms with a source that there’s no roster bonus or other trigger in Wallace’s deal for March that would force the Dolphins to make a quick decision on the wideout. However, the $3MM guarantee on his deal has offset language, so if the team decides to cut Wallace, doing so sooner rather than later could be advantageous.
- 49ers linebacker Dan Skuta, who is capable of playing both inside and outside, is on the list of free agents the Dolphins like, writes Jackson.
- Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter links) has heard from multiple people that new head of football operations Mike Tannenbaum actually has his eye on the 2016 season rather than 2015. As Beasley points out, that means the possibility of a roster purge is in play, though he’s skeptical that head coach Joe Philbin and GM Dennis Hickey would support a rebuild, given their potentially their job security.
Dolphins Cut Brian Hartline
While rumors swirl around the Dolphins’ highest-paid receiver, Mike Wallace, the team has made a decision on its second highest-paid wideout. According to agent Drew Rosenhaus, Brian Hartline is being released by the club, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets.
While Wallace’s deal, which carries the largest cap hit on the roster, will have to be dealt with at some point, Hartline’s contract was another obvious one for the team to address at some point prior to free agency. The veteran wideout’s cap number was set to increase to $7.35MM in 2015, and then to $7.55MM for each of the following two seasons. That may have been a reasonable price for the version of Hartline who averaged 75 receptions and 1,050 yards in 2012 and 2013, but the 28-year-old’s production dipped sharply in 2014, when he grabbed just 39 balls for 474 yards.
Since Hartline still had three years left on his deal, the annual $1.4MM charges for his signing bonus will all accelerate to 2015, leaving $4.2MM in dead money on the Dolphins’ books. Still, the move clears $3.15MM in cap room for the ’15 league year, and the club avoids paying Hartline’s $5.9MM base salary for the coming year.
Those cap savings for Miami could potentially be put toward re-signing tight end Charles Clay, who is expected to command a per-year salary in the neighborhood of $6MM. As for Hartline, like fellow veteran wideout Harry Douglas, who was also released today, he should generate some interest among teams seeking depth for their receiving corps, rather than clubs looking to add a high-level starter.
East Notes: Herremans, Clay, Orakpo
Todd Herremans has not been officially released by the Eagles yet and he cannot start talking to other teams until that happens, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. The move needs to show up on the league’s personnel notice before Herremans is allowed to chat with other clubs. Herremans, 32, has been with the Eagles since the club selected him in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. The Eagles could opt to hand Herremans’ job over to backups Allen Barbre or Matt Tobin but may look at Raiders center Stefen Wisniewski, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane.
Wisniewski started all 16 games for the Raiders in each of his four years, with the last 48 games coming at center. The son of former Raiders great Steve Wisniewski opened his career with 16 starts at left guard, increasing his versatility. Stefen Wisnewski is a cheaper alternative to signing Mike Iupati or Orlando Franklin, although perhaps not too much cheaper. He ranks 32nd on Pro Football Focus’ top 75 free agents.
In other news across the league’s eastern divisions …
- The Eagles are also expected to pursue free agent corner Byron Maxwell, and Phillymag.com’s Sheil Kapadia examines why they should with a film-based analysis. Maxwell was the fourth Legion of Boom member the past 1 1/2 seasons, starting in two Super Bowls, and served as an effective deterrent as teams attacked the Seahawks defense’s right flank. At 27, Maxwell is one of the market’s top corners.
- League insiders tell Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that if the Dolphins can strike a deal with pending free agent Charles Clay in the coming weeks, it probably decreases the likelihood that wide receiver Mike Wallace remains. Top exec Mike Tannenbaum has made it known that he wants to retain the tight end.
- Washington met with Brian Orakpo‘s agent at last week’s scouting combine and expressed interest in re-signing him, but there’s a long way to go between the two sides, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com. In an extended look at Orakpo’s free agency, Keim notes that many people around the league don’t expect Orakpo to return to D.C.
- Washington has hired Dave Ragone as their offensive quality control coach, Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com tweets. Ragone served as the Titans’ wide receiver coach from 2011-12 and the team’s quarterbacks coach in 2013.
Zach Links contributed to this report
Mike Wallace Not Interested In Restructure
The Dolphins are reportedly exploring the possibility of trading Mike Wallace, but all options appear to be in play for the veteran wide receiver, meaning the team could also ultimately decide to keep him or to cut him. However, Wallace doesn’t seem to be interested in one potential solution, according to Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, who hears from sources that the wideout has told the team he’s not interested in restructuring the final three years of his contract.
Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald also weighed in on the Wallace situation this morning, and noted that he has “severe doubts” Wallace would accept a pay cut, which makes sense. If he were to refuse a pay cut and the Dolphins were forced to cut him, Wallace – who is still just 28 years old – could likely do well on the open market. It’s a little curious that he wouldn’t be open to a simple restructure though. Such a move would simply move money around, ensuring that Wallace receives more up front in the form of a signing bonus, rather than in 2015 base salary, so he wouldn’t be taking a pay cut in that scenario.
Still, as Kelly points out, the former Steeler has expressed discomfort with the conservative nature of the Dolphins’ offense, so it’s possible he’s just interested in a change of scenery. After averaging nearly 1,100 receiving yards and nine touchdowns per season during his final three years in Pittsburgh, Wallace has averaged less than 900 yards and eight TDs in his two seasons catching balls from Ryan Tannehill.
With Wallace owed a $3MM roster bonus on the fifth day of the new league year, the Dolphins figure to make their decision on the receiver one way or the other within the next couple weeks. Salguero suggests that it’s hard to imagine the two sides working something out and Wallace wearing a Dolphins jersey in Week 1 of the 2015 season, so it looks likely that the two sides will part ways.
If Miami can’t find a trade partner, that means the club will cut Wallace, absorbing the $9.6MM in dead money left on his deal. Salguero notes that the team would likely designate the 28-year-old a post-June 1 cut, in which case that $9.6MM would be split up over two years — $5.2MM in 2015 and $4.4MM in 2016.
For his part, new Dolphins head of football operations Mike Tannenbaum declined to comment earlier this morning on the trade rumors surrounding Wallace (Twitter link via SiriusXM NFL Radio).
FA Rumors: Pascoe, Jean-Francois, McCourty
The agent for tight end Bear Pascoe tells D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that his client will be moving on from the Falcons next month.
“We had a great conversation with the Falcons and it looks like at this point Bear is going to explore some other options for next year and the Falcons are going to do the same,” said Noel LaMontagne, Pascoe’s agent. “The front office and Bear both were really appreciative of everything over the last year, but with coaching changes, there will always be other changes, so Bear is going to see what else is out there for the future.”
Let’s round up a few more Wednesday updates on 2015’s prospective free agents:
- After been released by the Colts earlier this week, defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois is seeking a new home for the 2015 season, and a pair of potential suitors has already surfaced. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Jean-Francois has visits lined up with Washington and the 49ers this week. Jean-Francois has a history with the Niners, having spent the first four years of his NFL career in San Francisco.
- Asked about the possibility of being franchised by the Patriots, safety Devin McCourty wasn’t sure if that’s the team’s plan, but said being tagged wouldn’t be the worst thing (Twitter link via Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald). “The franchise tag is player-friendly now,” McCourty said (Twitter link via Phil Perry of CSNNE.com). “It’s a good number.”
- After some confusion about his contract status, Lions defensive end George Johnson is being considered a restricted free agent by both the NFL and NFLPA, says Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). As such, there’s a very good chance Johnson returns to Detroit.
- Appearing on PFT Live today, veteran safety Mike Adams said he’d like to retire as a Colt (Twitter link). Adams, who is eligible for free agency, turns 34 next month, so there’s a chance his next contract will be his last.
- As we heard this morning, the Dolphins are working to get a deal done with tight end Charles Clay. If he remains unsigned when the free agent period arrives though, Clay’s market will be “very strong,” tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk takes a look at a few clubs to watch in free agency, identifying the Falcons, Buccaneers, Raiders, Jaguars, and Bills as the teams poised to spend big.
Dolphins Rumors: Clay, Odrick, Harris, WRs
Barry Jackson’s Wednesday Buzz column for the Miami Herald is chock full of notable Dolphins-related tidbits, so let’s dive right in and see what kind of free agent rumors Jackson has for us today….
- Negotiations between the Dolphins and tight end Charles Clay are active and the team is cautiously optimistic that something will get done. There’s no certainty at this point, but Miami would like to keep its Clay/Dion Sims TE duo intact.
- The Dolphins intend to make an offer to free-agent-to-be Jared Odrick, and have told him as much. However, the team has confided in people that the defensive tackle may command more than what the club is willing to pay — a contract worth $7MM+ per year isn’t out of reach for Odrick.
- Miami wants to add a starting linebacker, and David Harris of the Jets figures to be a prime target. New Dolphins president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum drafted Harris back in 2007 when he was the Jets’ general manager. If Harris ultimately ends up out of the Dolphins’ price range, Mason Foster of the Buccaneers may be Plan B, per Jackson.
- The Dolphins would like to re-sign prospective free agent defensive backs Louis Delmas and Jimmy Wilson, as well as tackle Jason Fox.
- While the fate of specific players like Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline still hasn’t been made clear, the Dolphins have told people that there will be some turnover at the wide receiver position, according to Jackson.
- Although Miami would like to bring back Samson Satele, he will likely find a better opportunity elsewhere now that the club is moving Mike Pouncey back to center.
East Notes: Allen, Odrick, Bills, Giants
Eagles safety Nate Allen, who is set to reach the open market next month, has been cleared of any wrongdoing after being detained by police in Fort Myers, Florida last week, according to a report from ABC 6 in Philadelphia. Allen was adamant at the time that the accusation of indecent exposure was false, and encouraged police to continue investigating to clear his name.
Here’s more the East:
- Charles Clay isn’t the only Dolphins free-agent-to-be whose next deal could be in the range of $6MM per year. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes that Jared Odrick‘s camp believes the defensive lineman has a floor of $6MM annually in free agency. Salguero also tweeted that the club would like to keep Odrick if the cost isn’t too prohibitive.
- The Bills are interested in bring back both defensive end Jarius Wynn and linebacker Larry Dean, but there’s been “no movement” in talks with guard Erik Pears, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Pears spent the entire season as Buffalo’s starting left guard, while Wynn and Dean were reserve defenders.
- The Giants will probably look to move a few veterans off their roster before free agency begins, and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com guesses (via Twitter) that linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka, offensive lineman J.D. Walton, and perhaps linebacker Jon Beason could be among that group. PFR’s Zach Links identified Kiwanuka and Beason as possible cap casualties in his preview of New York’s offseason.
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.
East Notes: Clay, Reynolds, Jets, Dolphins
We led off our morning round-up of free agent rumors with a note on Charles Clay, passing along a report that suggested the veteran tight end is still very much a part of the Dolphins‘ plans. However, if Miami does want to re-sign Clay, he won’t come cheap. A league source tells Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald that the market for Clay is expected to be about $6MM+ annually.
While that may seem like a steep price for a player coming off a fairly modest season (605 receiving yards, three touchdowns), a $6MM annual salary would put Clay right in between Greg Olsen and Dennis Pitta, who are solid players but certainly not start tight ends. As Over The Cap’s data shows, Marcedes Lewis, Jared Cook, Antonio Gates, and Kyle Rudolph are among the players whose annual salaries range from $6.8-7.3MM, a notch above where Clay is expected to land.
Here are a few more items out of the NFL’s two East divisions:
- The contract signed by offensive lineman Dallas Reynolds with the Giants last week includes $25K in guaranteed money, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com rounds up some notes from the scouting combine, with a focus on the Jets. Cimini leads off his report by suggesting that the Jets don’t seem to be in quarterback-or-bust mode for the draft, and that the team isn’t necessarily a lock to select Marcus Mariota if he falls to No. 6.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk clarifies some points from a weekend article on Dez Bryant, suggesting that all players who – not just the Cowboys receiver – should take certain steps to regain leverage if they receive a franchise or transition tag from their respective teams.
- While Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald agrees that the Dolphins should consider off-field actions when deciding which players to add to their roster, he expresses some concern that the team’s criteria may be too strict — in Salguero’s words, Miami seems to be taking “extra steps” to ensure that the players on the squad “fall in line.”
FA Rumors: Clay, Miles, Johnson, Demps
We heard yesterday that the Bills may target tight end Charles Clay in free agency next month, but Clay remains very much in the Dolphins‘ plans, according to Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post. A source with knowledge of the situation tells Abramson that it would be “very surprising” if Clay doesn’t return to Miami for the 2015 season. As Abramson notes, while Buffalo’s interest in the tight end may be legit, it’s also fair to wonder if the Bills leaked word of that interest in order to potentially drive up Clay’s price for their division rivals in Miami.
Here are a few more notes from around the league on this year’s free-agents-to-be:
- The Ravens are expected to bring back safety and special-teamer Jeromy Miles, who is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next month, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. With just over two weeks until Miles would be able to sign with another club, it’s possible he dips his toe into the open market to gauge his value, but according to Wilson, a return to Baltimore appears likely.
- As Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press details, there’s some confusion over whether Lions defensive end George Johnson is a restricted or unrestricted free agent this offseason. Johnson earned accrued seasons in 2011, 2012, and 2014, but his 2013 season is up for debate, since it seems he was paid for six weeks but was only on the Vikings’ roster for five Sundays. Players must be on a team’s 53-man roster for six weeks to earn an accrued season, and must accumulate four accrued seasons to be eligible for unrestricted free agency.
- As he prepares to enter the free agent market, Giants safety Quintin Demps has hired agent Drew Rosenhaus to represent him, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports.
- Mike Klis of the Denver Post takes a look at which Broncos free agents have the best chance of returning to Denver, speculating that Terrance Knighton, Orlando Franklin, Julius Thomas, Wes Welker, and Rahim Moore are all “probably gone.”
Free Agency Links: Giants, Poe, Clay
Despite landing one of the marquee receivers with 2014 first-rounder Odell Beckham, Giants GM Jerry Reese intends to invest further in that spot this offseason.
“We’ll upgrade receiver,” Reese told Connor Orr of NFL.com on a decision that has more to do with slot bastion Victor Cruz, who suffered a ruptured patellar tendon midway through last season. Cruz is signed through 2018 and carries an $8.2MM cap number — the second-highest figure on the team behind Eli Manning, according to OverTheCap — as by far the Giants’ highest-paid receiver but regaining his top form after a gruesome ailment isn’t a lock. Beckham and Rueben Randle remain on their rookie deals.
Cruz hasn’t come close to replicating his 1,500-yard 2011 season, but the Giants have yet to see him team up much with Beckham, as the two played just one full game together last season. Although this is the team that took Jason Pierre-Paul in 2011 with Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck on their roster at the time, seeing the Giants go receiver at No. 8 overall or allocate significant funds to the spot via free agency would surprise, considering their other needs.
- Occupying one of the tightest salary cap situations with less than $5MM of room (OverTheCap), the Chiefs have a slew of decisions to make to become active in this season’s free agent market. But one they must exercise by May 3 is whether to pick up their fifth-year option on nose tackle Dontari Poe, their Pro Bowl nose tackle, and GM John Dorsey is putting that decision on the back burner, writes the Kansas City Star’s Terez A. Paylor. If Kansas City picks up this option, Poe’s salary in 2016 will be an average of the league’s DTs paid between third- and 25th-most at the position. Poe’s been a regular who’s played high snap counts in the middle of the Chiefs’ defense since being selected in the first round of the 2012 draft, but their decision isn’t open and shut considering the statuses of high-priced players Tamba Hali, Dwayne Bowe and Eric Berry, who saw his fifth-year option picked up last spring. Poe graded out as the 11th-best defensive tackle in a breakout 2013 season, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), but didn’t crack the site’s top 40 in his other two seasons.
- The Bills were probably going to take current Lions tight end Eric Ebron before trading up for Sammy Watkins last May and may not deviate from a tight end-based plan this time around, writes Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Carucci picks out Charles Clay, one of the top free agents at the position this offseason after being a steady performer with the Dolphins the past two years, as a possible upgrade on the Scott Chandler-led corps. Clay’s ability to work as a fullback in Rex Ryan‘s offense would be key here, Carucci said. The Bills haven’t had much of note, receiving-wise, at this spot in the modern era after deploying the likes of Chandler, Robert Royal and Jay Riemersma over the past 15 years.
- Clay, who caught 58 and 69 passes the past two years, respectively, may not be a fit for the Super Bowl champion Patriots, tweets the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe, however. Clay’s price may be out of the range of a team that employs the second-highest-paid player, by seasonal value, in Rob Gronkowski.