Mike Goodson

AFC Links: Chiefs, Bengals, Bills

Former Jets running back Mike Goodson was a no-show at his scheduled court appearance on Thursday. Goodson was set to appear at Morris County Superior Court in New Jersey on drug and weapon charges.

As Darryl Slater of The Star-Ledger reports, the player’s attorney, Alfred Gellene, said that Smart was unable to land a flight from Texas because of financial difficulties. ESPNNewYork.com’s Jane McManus adds that Goodson faces up to ten years in prison if found guilty on the weapon charges and could also be arrested if he fails to attend his July 24th hearing.

About a week ago, some of Goodson’s former Jets teammates expressed their concern for the player’s well-being. No one in the organization had heard from the 27-year-old throughout minicamp.

Let’s see what else is going on around the AFC…

AFC Links: Goodson, Flowers, Jaguars

The Jets released running back Mike Goodson earlier today, but the transaction had little to do with his production on the field. Following Goodson’s failure to show up to training camp, the team announced that the player was cut with the “left squad” designation. Furthermore, he’s had zero contact with anyone within the organization, and that’s leaving some of his former teammates and coaches worried.

Offensive guard Willie Colon is one of those players (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini):

“Usually, a guy will send you a text and say, ‘I’m OK.’ Not to hear anything is scary in itself. All you can do is send out prayers to him.”

Goodson has had a bit of a troubled past. The issues began in May 2013, when he was found stopped in the middle lane of a highway by New Jersey Police. The cops say he was incoherent and had vomited, and a semiautomatic weapon and marijuana was allegedly found in his possession. Last season, he was suspended four games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Wideout David Nelson briefly touched on his former teammate’s issues:

“The concern is what kind of state he might be in, where he might be and things he might be doing. Guys are trying to check in on him, making sure that stuff isn’t reoccurring and taking over.

“For somebody who has just gone MIA – nobody can get a hold of him and nobody knows where he is – that takes it to a different level and it goes beyond football. Guys aren’t reaching out to him because of football. They’re reaching out to him because they care about him. They want to know if he’s OK.

“That’s the element everybody is talking about. At this point, nobody is talking about, ‘Why isn’t he here practicing?’ I think the fear is that we haven’t heard from him. That’s not a good sign, honestly.”

Head coach Rex Ryan also addressed the matter:

“There’s no question, it concerns me. I’ve tried to reach out to him but haven’t been able to make contact with him.”

The only time we’ve heard from Goodson’s agent, Kennard McGuire, was following the player’s initial absence from camp on Tuesday:

“Mike must be accountable and responsible for his own actions and comprehend not only effective communication but simple communication.”

With that, let’s see what else is going on around the AFC…

  • Free agent cornerback Brandon Flowers isn’t negotiating with teams yet, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. The former Chiefs notable will spend the next two days with the Chargers. The Ravens, Steelers, and Vikings are among the clubs keeping a close eye on him. According to La Canfora (via Twitter), Flowers has no other visits scheduled yet and will re-evaluate the situation and whether to take more visits after he’s done spending time in San Diego (link).
  • Count wide receiver Eddie Royal amongst the folks who want to see Flowers sign with the Chargers, writes Tom Krasovic of U-T San Diego. The two were teammates at Virginia Tech.
  • New Jaguars running back Toby Gerhart wants to be the Jacksonville’s version of Marshawn Lynch, writes Jim Corbett of USA Today Sports. The Jags gave Gerhart a three-year, $10.5MM deal in March.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Jets Release Mike Goodson

The Jets have officially parted ways with Mike Goodson, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve released the running back. The announcement notes that the move was made with the “left squad” designation. As Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap observes (via Twitter), the club figures to use the fact that Goodson left the team to try to recoup some money from him.

Goodson, 27, only had seven carries and two receptions during his one-year stay with the Jets, but created plenty of headlines along the way. The former fourth-round pick was arrested last year on a weapons possession charge, received a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, tore his ACL, and failed to report to the club multiple times, including for this week’s minicamp.

Although there were still two years remaining on Goodson’s contract with the Jets, none of his remaining base salary was guaranteed. As noted above, however, portions of his $1MM signing bonus were prorated over the next two years, and cutting the running back with a left squad designation is a sign that the team will try to recoup as much of that bonus money as possible.

Goodson enjoyed his best NFL season in 2010 with the Panthers, rushing for 452 yards and three touchdowns, as well as catching 40 balls out of the backfield. However, his on-field resumé isn’t impressive enough to outweigh his off-field troubles, so even when he gets healthy, there are certainly no guarantees he’ll get another shot with an NFL team.

Minicamp Updates: Jets, Jags, Dolphins, Orton

The minicamps being held around the NFL this week are mandatory for players on rosters, but those aren’t the only guys in attendance. Many clubs are also auditioning non-roster players who are hoping to earn contracts and the opportunity to compete in training camp for a regular-season roster spot. Here are the latest updates from minicamps around the league:

Jets Notes: Dowling, Sudfeld, Cunningham

It’s always more intriguing when a released player ends up with a division rival. Can the new team untap the talents that the old team couldn’t? Will he be that much more motivated, potentially facing his old team twice a year?

The already potent Jets/Patriots rivalry got even more compelling when three former Pats — cornerback Ras-I Dowling, tight end Zach Sudfeld and outside linebacker Jermaine Cunningham — signed with Gang Green this offseason. Dowling and Cunningham were both second-round picks originally by New England, but ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini says the undrafted Sudfeld has the best shot of making the 53-man roster based on the team’s lack of depth at the position.

  • Cimini envisions four running backs on the roster — including fullback Tommy Bohanon — with Daryl Richardson and Mike Goodson on the outside looking in.
  • Signing a veteran offensive lineman for insurance would be a sound move for the team, per Cimini, who notes that none of the backups have any meaningful professional experience.
  • Don’t be surprised if Stephen Hill emerges as the Jets’ No. 2 wide receiver opposite Eric Deckerwrites Cimini. Hill has struggled making the transition to professional from collegiate after a nice career at Georgia Tech, and he’s battling savvy veteran David Nelson for the coveted starting spot.
  • Neither Cunningham nor Dowling found success with the Patriots, but Jets‘ head coach Rex Ryan is not concerned with his rival’s opinion of those players, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

AFC Links: Bills, Jets, Colts, Jaguars

Earlier, we took a look at what ESPN’s NFC writers had to say on this Memorial Day. Now, let’s focus on ESPN’s AFC writers…

AFC Notes: Clary, Johnson, Archer, Pats

During Chargers rookie minicap, third-rounder Chris Watt was working at right guard, “the same position of Jeromey Clary, who is to make $4.55 million in total compensation in 2014,” writes ESPN’s Eric D. Williams. “Watt lining up at right guard probably is not a coincidence.”

This comes on after an ESPN Insider piece (subscription required) about veterans whose jobs are in jeopardy in which Nathan Jahnke put the magnifying glass on Clary: “Thanks to the drafting of D.J. Fluker in 2013, Clary was moved from right tackle to right guard last year. The move didn’t work out well for Clary, who had the third-lowest run-block rating for all guards per PFF. In addition, the Chargers’ running backs averaged 4.6 yards per carry when running to the left compared to 3.6 yards per carry when running to the right, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Clary had something to do with that large difference.”

Here’s a few more AFC news and notes:

  • Any rumors of Andre Johnson being reunited via trade with Gary Kubiak in Baltimore were quashed by ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
  • Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com passed along a few Patriots tidbits: The team will carry three quarterbacks (Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo and Ryan Mallett), but Mallett is expected to depart via free agency at year’s end; Shane Vereen could earn a contract extension with a healthy, productive season; and 2013 fourth-rounder Josh Boyce, who struggled with the “mental aspect” as a rookie, will “compete for the kickoff return job while also vying for a role as a No. 3-5 option on the depth chart.”
  • Free agent linebacker James Anderson, who started all 16 games for the Bears last season, tried out for the Patriots, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
  • On third-rounder Dri Archer, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert told Post-Tribune writer Alan Robinson, “We think we got the fastest player in the draft.” The Steelers hope to take advantage of Archer’s versatility, according to Colbert, who says the rookie could be used as a kick returner, in the slot, in the backfield and maybe as an H-back.
  • When asked about potential surprise cuts depending on how many rookies/young players make the Jaguars, ESPN’s Michael DiRocco mentioned Tyson Alualu, Denard Robinson and Ricky Stanzi as bubble players.
  • With the Jets adding Daryl Richardson via waivers, Mike Goodson is not expected to be with the team, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).

AFC Notes: Jets, Contract Details, Titans

We heard on Tuesday, shortly after the Giants had officially signed Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, that the Jets had increased their offer at the 11th hour in an effort to land the free agent cornerback. In his latest piece for TheMMQB.com, former NFL exec Andrew Brandt offers some additional insight on that story, suggesting that the Jets’ initial offer had a one-year, $6MM structure, with options beyond that for future seasons. When it became clear that the Giants were closing in on a deal, GM John Idzik, attending Teddy Bridgewater‘s Pro Day, scrambled to change the structure of the Jets’ offer, but it was too late by that point.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • Paul Kuharsky of ESPN (Twitter links) has the goods on Charlie Whitehurst‘s two-year deal with the Titans. The quarterback gets a $1MM signing bonus, a $1MM guaranteed base, a $250K roster bonus on the fifth day of the 2015 league year, and a $2.25MM base in ’15. In short, the Titans can get out of the deal after 2014 without much penalty.
  • Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter) reports that nose tackle Jerrell Powe gets a $645K split salary from the Texans on his one-year deal.
  • The Titans, who cut kicker Rob Bironas yesterday, called Old Dominion kicker Jarod Brown, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The 49ers and Colts also worked Brown out at his Pro Day.
  • Offensive tackle Donald Penn says reuniting with former Bucs assistant Greg Olson was a big factor in his decision to signing with the Raiders, tweets Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.
  • Although Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com reported yesterday that the Jets had reworked Mike Goodson‘s contract to clear his 2014 roster bonus from the team’s cap, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News says (via Twitter) says that actually happened at the start of the 2013 season.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Browns, Goodson, Dolphins, Rams

After initially suggesting that he’d be open to returning to the Seahawks on a “hometown discount,” Golden Tate ultimately landed with the Lions, inking the second-largest deal of the offseason for a wide receiver. In retrospect, Tate may regret making the comment about giving Seattle a discount, as he explained on 710 ESPN in Seattle (link via Terry Blount of ESPN.com).

“I didn’t mean a 40% discount,” Tate said. “I’m going to earn in one year at Detroit what Seattle was going to pay me for two years. Seattle offered numbers that were laughable. I thought, ‘I’ve given you everything and this is what you give me?'”

As Tate looks forward to teaming up with Calvin Johnson in Detroit, let’s check in on a few more odds and ends from around the NFL….

  • Free agent offensive lineman Paul McQuistan and defensive lineman Alex Carrington visited with the Browns, tweets Pat McManamon of ESPN.com.
  • The Jets have converted Mike Goodson’s $650K roster bonus into a different form of roster bonus that can be obtained if he’s on the roster for all 16 games, as Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com details (via Twitter). The move takes the bonus charge off the cap, creating some modest savings for the Jets.
  • Before he re-signed with the Jets, Willie Colon drew interest from the Falcons and Vikings, but those teams both ultimately “backed off,” the lineman told reporters today (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post).
  • The Redskins hosted free agent guard Mike McGlynn for a visit today, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Washington is clearly in the market for at least one interior lineman after cutting Will Montgomery, considering we heard earlier in the afternoon that the club will also host Brian De La Puente.
  • The conditional draft pick the Dolphins sent to the Ravens for Bryant McKinnie last season will be a seventh-rounder, a league source tells Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
  • The Vikings‘ offer to Henry Melton was competitive with the Cowboys‘ proposal in terms of salary, but the free agent defensive lineman simply chose Dallas instead, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
  • A little over a week into free agency, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch examines where the Rams stand, and takes an in-depth look at Rodger Saffold‘s new contract.
  • Javier Arenas‘ one-year deal with the Falcons is a minimum salary benefit contract with a $65K signing bonus, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has the details on the new additions to the NFLPA’s executive committee.