AFC East Notes: Revis, Pats, Cromartie, Jets
Darrelle Revis has had a heck of a year with the Patriots, and it took a strange set of circumstances to bring it all together. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com lays out the entire story, including how Darrelle Revis found clarity on a Vespa scooter. “I just wanted something to get away and clear my mind and do something else to keep me busy instead of having stress or pressure on me,” Revis said. “So that’s how I spent my days. And I think that’s how we always handle my situations. When I was a rookie and had to hold out I was on the beach with (agent) Jonathan (Feinsod) in the Hamptons. And this is how we always approach it: Just get your mind off of it so it doesn’t drive you crazy.” Before you dive into La Canfora’s entertaining and informative read, check out the latest from the AFC East..
- Free agent cornerback Antonio Cromartie told Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (via SiriusXM NFL Radio on Twitter) that “the door is open” for a return to the Jets. The veteran added that he still has a home in the New Jersey area. Cromartie appeared to struggle during the end of his Jets tenure but it’s possible that the new regime will have faith in what he can do.
- James Walker of ESPN.com profiled pending Dolphins free agent Samson Satele. Satele, who started all 16 games at center for Miami, was a solid late signing following Mike Pouncey‘s hip surgery. However, Satele will be an unrestricted free agent in March and doesn’t appear to be a fit with Pouncey going back to center. Even if his future isn’t in Miami, Satele figures to be a solid center for someone in 2015.
- Revis bet on himself with Patriots and it could pay off with a fat new contract after the Super Bowl, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes.
East Notes: Eagles, Maxwell, Moore, Cowboys
Sources close to Byron Maxwell “recently threw out numbers” like $12-13MM when estimating what it might take – in terms of per-year salary – to land the Seahawks cornerback in free agency this offseason, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. I’d be shocked if Maxwell landed a deal that lucrative, but he’ll be one of the top available corners if he reaches the open market. While general manager John Schneider and the Seahawks have expressed a desire to re-sign Maxwell, he should have several suitors in March, including the Eagles — McLane takes a look at Maxwell’s potential fit in Philadelphia.
Here are a few more items from around the NFL’s two East divisions:
- While an earlier report suggested that the Eagles rebuffed the 49ers‘ attempts to interview wide receivers coach Bob Bicknell for a possible offensive coordinator role in San Francisco, that’s not quite the case, according to Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. Mosher tweets that new Niners head coach Jim Tomsula spoke to Bicknell about a job in San Francisco, but that Bicknell wasn’t interested in leaving the Eagles. That has since by confirmed by multiple reporters, including Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link).
- Matt Moore hasn’t seen the field much during his tenure as the Dolphins‘ No. 2 quarterback, but he’s still considered one of the better backups in the league, and won’t necessarily come cheap this offseason. As such, James Walker of ESPN.com thinks there’s a good chance Miami targets a more affordable backup QB and lets Moore sign elsewhere.
- Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News identifies the least favorable contracts on the Cowboys‘ books heading into the 2015 season, with Brandon Carr‘s pricey deal topping his list.
2015 Franchise Tag Candidates: AFC East
One game remains on the NFL’s calendar for the 2014/15 season, but for teams besides the Seahawks and Patriots, the offseason has already begun. And one of the first tasks on most clubs’ offseason to-do list involve the franchise and transition tags. As our list of important offseason dates shows, teams can assign their franchise or transition tag to a player beginning on February 16, and will have until March 2 to make use of one of those tags.
Franchise and transition tags are tools that allow teams to keep free-agents-to-be off the open market. Our glossary entry on the subject goes into greater detail, but essentially, a player receiving either tag can’t sign freely with a rival suitor — the exclusive franchise tag prohibits the player from even negotiating with another team, while the non-exclusive franchise and transition tags ensure that the player must sign an offer sheet, which his previous club would have the opportunity to match.
Franchising a player means tendering him a one-year contract offer — he can accept and sign that offer, or attempt to work out a longer-term arrangement with his club. The salary for the one-year offer is determined using a formula that looks at the highest-paid players at each position, and is often exorbitant. Because it can be tricky to accommodate a franchise or transition salary within the cap restraints, not all teams will make use of the tags this offseason. Last year, for instance, only six clubs took advantage of the opportunity, with four teams using the franchise tag while two others used the transition tag.
Still, most teams around the NFL have one or two players that warrant at least passing consideration for one of the tags. Over the next couple weeks, we’ll take a look around the league, division by division, identifying which players on each of the NFL’s 32 teams might be candidates for the franchise tag in 2015. We’ll start today with the AFC East — let’s dive in….
Buffalo Bills:
- Candidates: Jerry Hughes
- Odds of being used: Unlikely
- Running back C.J. Spiller and safety Da’Norris Searcy are among the free-agents-to-be that the Bills might look to re-sign this winter, but only Hughes is truly a viable candidate for the tag. The pass-rushing specialist has been excellent for Buffalo, recording consecutive seasons of double-digit sacks, but the price for his tag may be simply too high — even if he were considered an outside linebacker rather than a defensive end, Hughes would still likely cost at least $12MM for 2015. That may not be doable for the Bills, considering how much money the team has already invested into its other standout defensive linemen.
Miami Dolphins:
- Candidates: Charles Clay, Jared Odrick
- Odds of being used: Unlikely
- Clay and Odrick are solid players, and the franchise prices for tight ends and defensive tackles aren’t bad relative to many other positions. Still, the Dolphins don’t have a ton of cap space to work with, and committing big money to either Clay or Odrick on a one-year deal isn’t a prudent use of that space. If Miami wants to retain them, both players can probably be locked up for lower per-year salaries.
New England Patriots:
- Candidates: Devin McCourty, Stephen Gostkowski
- Odds of being used: Possible
- The price for a franchised safety is less than $10MM, which certainly isn’t outrageous for McCourty, who has developed into one of the more consistently productive players at his position. Gostkowski, meanwhile, has been one of the league’s most reliable kickers for the last several years, and would cost about $4MM to franchise. Bill Belichick and the Pats are notoriously willing to let players go when their cost outweighs their benefit, but McCourty and Gostkowski are still effective enough that the team will likely at least consider tagging one or the other.
New York Jets:
- Candidates: David Harris
- Odds of being used: Unlikely
- The Jets will certainly have plenty of cap room to work with this offseason, but without an ideal franchise candidate, the team will likely choose to pass on the tag. An inside linebacker, Harris is coming off a deal that paid him $9MM annually, but he just turned 31 and the ILB position has seen its value decrease a little in recent years. Dawan Landry, a top-10 safety in 2014, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), makes for an intriguing under-the-radar candidate, but not a very realistic one.
AFC Notes: Raiders, Colts, Forsett, Burfict
Reports last week indicated that the Raiders may ultimately look to the college ranks as their search for a defensive coordinator continues. While no specific names were mentioned at the time, Dianna Marie Russini of NBC Washington has one for us today, tweeting that Oakland is interested in Louisville DC Todd Grantham. According to Russini (via Twitter), the Raiders have lined up a meeting with Grantham, who is considered a favorite for the position.
As we enter the final week of the NFL season, let’s round up a few more notes from around the AFC….
- The Colts and running backs coach David Walker have “mutually” agreed to part ways, the team announced today (Twitter link via Mike Wells of ESPN.com). Per Football Outsiders, Indianapolis placed just 17th in offensive DVOA this season, in large part due to the team’s rushing rank (27th).
- “I want to have a home and stay there. That’s the plan,” running back Justin Forsett said about the possibility of re-signing with the Ravens. Forsett added that new offensive coordinator Marc Trestman is expected to keep many of the same principles that Baltimore’s run game used in 2014 (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
- Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict underwent microfracture surgery on his knee, but the surgeon who performed the procedure is optimistic that Burfict could be back to full strength for training camp, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- With new head coach Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Greg Roman expected to install a power running game in Buffalo, the Bills should be careful not to overpay for free-agent-to-be C.J. Spiller, who may not be an ideal fit, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. Walker expects Spiller to land a deal in the range of the ones signed by backs like Ben Tate, Knowshon Moreno, and Darren McFadden a year ago — those players inked short-term deals for $3-4MM per season.
- The Dolphins should do what they can to re-sign defensive tackle Jared Odrick, writes Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap in his preview of Miami’s offseason cap decisions. Fitzgerald views Odrick as a potential $5.5-$6.5MM per year player.
East Notes: Fins, Clay, Pats, Ayers, Washington
The Dolphins would like to re-sign impending free agent tight end Charles Clay, and are preparing an offer with the intention to submit it to Clay’s representatives in the coming weeks, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Clay, who turns 26 in about three weeks, earned $1.431MM in base salary last season, and should be in for nice pay increase despite a somewhat disappointing campaign that saw him catch 58 passes for 589 yards and three touchdowns. I profiled Clay as an extension candidate before the season, and while the four-year, ~$21MM contract I projected at the time now seems a tad high, a $4MM AAV isn’t out of the question.
Let’s look at some more notes from the two East divisions:
- In the same article, Jackson passes along some other Dolphins news, including Miami’s visit with defensive tackle prospect Danny Shelton, and league-wide interest in Dolphins executives Chris Grier and Adam Engroff.
- The NFL bears significant responsibility in the DeflateGate scandal, argues Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Despite vowing to investigate the matter fully, the league hasn’t discovered much in the way of evidence or intent, writes Florio. Instead, the Patriots and the NFL as a whole are now being tarnished in what is the most important week in the league calendar.
- Akeem Ayers doesn’t have any hard feelings towards the Titans regarding the trade that sent him to the Patriots, as the linebacker tells Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal. “They made a decision that they felt like they needed to make,” said Ayers. “…I just took it as motivation and especially being here on this team, I feel like they did me a favor, honestly…I came here and I did a good job here and we’re going to the Super Bowl.” New England acquired Ayers and a seventh-round pick for a 2015 sixth-rounder. A free agent at season’s end, the 25-year-old Ayers registered 20 tackles and four sacks in nine games with the Pats.
- Washington would like to speak with Packers senior personnel executive Alonso Highsmith about its director of personnel position, but hasn’t heard back from Green Bay as of yet, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.
Extra Points: NFLPA, Mayo, Van Pelt, Raiders
The NFL Players Association has formally filed a grievance against the league challenging the NFL’s new personal conduct policy, which was adopted in December despite the NFLPA’s objections, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The union contends that it didn’t have an opportunity to collectively bargain many key points of the new policy, arguing that the policy violates the CBA and that it was adopted “without the consent, and over the objections, of the NFLPA.”
While we wait to see what comes of the union’s grievance, let’s round up several items from across the NFL….
- Injured Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo has been prioritizing his rehabilitation after a season-ending knee injury, and fully intends to get back on the field in 2015, but he has also developed an interest in coaching during his time spent on injured reserve, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. “I’m just trying to learn as much as I can,” Mayo said. “If I do choose to go down that road, hopefully I can apply some of these principles that I’ve learned from coach [Bill] Belichick in my coaching career.”
- While a previous report revealed the Packers turned down the Rams’ request to speak to Alex Van Pelt about their offensive coordinator job, St. Louis wasn’t the only team rebuffed by Green Bay. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), the Jaguars and Bears were also denied permission to interview Van Pelt.
- The Raiders have officially confirmed a handful of new additions to Jack Del Rio’s staff, announcing in a press release that they’ve hired Todd Downing (QB coach), Marcus Robertson (DB coach), Sal Sunseri (LB coach), and Mike Tice (OL coach).
- The Jets also announced several new assistants in addition to their new coordinators. According to the team, Mike Caldwell (assistant HC/ILB coach), Mark Collins (OLB coach), Joe Danna (DB/S coach), and Karl Dorrell (WR coach) are among the new arrivals.
- Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey isn’t phased by the fact that 2015 could be a make-or-break season for him and head coach Joe Philbin, suggesting that he approaches every season as if it’s make-or-break, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
- The Texans have made some front office changes, promoting Jon Carr to director of college scouting and hiring Matt Jansen to the new position of college scouting coordinator, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links).
- We learned yesterday that Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett met with the Dolphins at the Senior Bowl, but Miami is far from the only team to interview Lockett. The wideout, who is generating plenty of buzz in Mobile, tells James Walker of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that he spoke to 28 NFL teams this week.
AFC East Notes: Brady, Marrone, Polian, Jets
Speaking to the media on Thursday afternoon, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady adamantly denied that he had any involvement in the deflating of footballs during New England’s victory over the Colts in Sunday’s AFC Championship game. “I didn’t alter the ball in any way,” said Brady. “…I was surprised as anyone on Monday morning when I heard what was happening…I have no knowledge of anything…I’m very comfortable saying that” (Twitter links via Albert Breer of NFL.com). Furthermore, Brady stated that NFL has not yet contacted him as part of their investigation, but allowed that they might do so, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) — per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), Brady would be the last person the NFL speaks to, based on Rapoport’s knowledge of the how the league conducts its probes. Here’s more from the AFC East, including a little more on DeflateGate:
- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick also spoke to reporters earlier today, and one league source found it “shocking” that Belichick shifted the focus of the scandal to Brady, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Of course, Belichick didn’t accuse Brady of anything improper, but he did say that “quarterbacks…know a lot more than I do,” which struck many as odd.
- Some league insiders believe that ex-Bills coach (and current Jaguars OL coach) Doug Marrone and Jacksonville executive Chris Polian could be a head coach/general manager pairing in 2016, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link via Mike Rodak).
- Packers assistant offensive line coach Steve Marshall is expected to join the Jets, presumably continuing to work with the offensive line, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).
- Kansas State receiver Tyler Lockett interviewed with the Dolphins on Wednesday, and the former Wildcat says the meeting went well, per James Walker of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
AFC East Notes: Pats, Dolphins, Geno, Jets
As we head towards the Super Bowl, Deflategate is picking up more and more steam. Today, Patriots coach Bill Belichick addressed the media and, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, he appeared to subtly point the finger at quarterback Tom Brady for the deflated footballs used in the AFC Championship game against the Colts. “I think we all know that quarterbacks, kickers, specialists have certain preferences on the footballs,” Belichick said. “They know a lot more than I do. They’re a lot more sensitive to it than I am. I hear them comment on it from time to time, but I can tell you and they will tell you that there’s never any sympathy whatsoever from me on that subject. Zero. Tom’s personal preferences on his footballs are something that he can talk about in much better detail and information than I could possibly provide.” Brady himself will face the media today at 3pm CT after having his availability moved up from Friday afternoon. More out of the AFC East..
- Ron Borges of the Boston Herald wonders how much more Patriots owner Robert Kraft can take when it comes to Belichick’s controversies.
- The Dolphins will face some difficult decisions thanks to their salary cap situation, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. There are nearly a dozen players among the 58 under contract that may be either cut or have their salaries renegotiated to give the team an ability to conduct business in free agency and the draft. The Dolphins are slated to be about $3.3MM over the expected cap of $140MM, which roughly the same situation the Patriots are in. The Pats, of course, have gotten better returns on their (over)investment than Miami has.
- New Jets coach Todd Bowles won’t commit to Geno Smith as his starting quarterback for 2015. “I think it’s an open slate right now,” Bowles told ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “It won’t be fair to say he is or isn’t the quarterback. Geno obviously is a heck of a football player, but there’s things we’ve got to evaluate and judge as a whole team. It’s not just Geno, it’s everybody. He’s the focus because he’s the quarterback, but everybody is going to be judged the same way. It’s an open slate on everybody coming in.”
Draft Notes: Perryman, Dolphins, Lions
The Senior Bowl means plenty of draft speculation and talk of the Dolphins tapping local star Denzel Perryman has been a hot topic in recent days. However, drafting Perryman is going to require a long and thoughtful debate in Miami, as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes. While GM Dennis Hickey doesn’t often mind drafting players that do not meet prototypical size and speed requirements (see: Jarvis Landry), assistant GM Eric Stokes does not feel the same way. Perryman, unfortunately, does not have the size one would usually want in a middle linebacker. More draft news..
- Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin could wind up as the next coach of the Falcons, but he’s not neglecting his duties in Detroit, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Austin booked interviews with Washington nose tackle Danny Shelton, Ohio State cornerback Doran Grant, Miami (Ohio) cornerback Quinten Rollins, and Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty last night.
- East Carolina wide receiver Justin Hardy said he a great meeting with the Ravens at the Senior Bowl, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
- Penn State linebacker Mike Hull and defensive end Deion Barnes have each met with the Eagles at the Senior Bowl, according to Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (on Twitter). Ohio State wide receiver Devin Smith and USC cornerback Josh Shaw have also met with the Eagles (link).
- The Giants met with wide receivers Sammie Coates and Devin Smith, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter).
AFC East Notes: Tannehill, Dolphins, Jets, Bills
Speaking today to reporters, including Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey had nothing but praise for quarterback Ryan Tannehill. While Hickey didn’t commit to picking up Tannehill’s fifth-year option for 2016, Beasley views that as a lock at this point, and suggests that the two sides could even work out a longer-term agreement this offseason.
Let’s round up a few more items on the Dolphins and some of their AFC East rivals…
- Asked about the future of wide receiver Mike Wallace with the Dolphins, Hickey was noncommittal, and certainly wasn’t as effusive with his praise for Wallace as he was for Tannehill, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The GM made it clear that the decision on Wallace would be a collaborative effort that would involve head coach Joe Philbin and new executive VP of football operations Mike Tannenbaum.
- Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Karl Dorrell, who worked with Todd Bowles in Miami, is expected to join the Jets‘ staff, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). It’s not yet clear what Dorrell’s role in New York would be, but he has worked as a quarterbacks coach and a receivers coach in the past.
- Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf, who advised the Jets during the team’s search for a general manager and head coach, are done with the club for now, but aren’t ruling out potentially continuing the relationship in the future, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.
- The Bills‘ front office continues to undergo some changes under new ownership, according to John Kryk of the Toronto Sun, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has fired director of pro personnel Tom Gibbons. Gibbons’ contract had been set to expire in June, after this year’s draft.