Extra Points: Beasley, T. Johnson, Owens
At a season tickets holders’ Q&A on Thursday night, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff assured fans – and owner Arthur Blank – that first-round pick Vic Beasley will be locked up soon, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com details.
“He has not been signed yet, but it’s very close,” Dimitroff said. “And rest assured, Arthur, it’ll be done very quickly. And he’ll be very happy.”
Here are a few more Friday odds and ends from around the NFL:
- Vikings defensive tackle Tom Johnson has been found not guilty on all charges stemming from his arrest last year for disorderly conduct, agent Bardia Ghahremani tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter links). Per Pelissero, Johnson plans to file a civil suit against the Minneapolis Police Department.
- In an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show (link via SI.com), former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens said he hasn’t officially retired, adding that he’d be “ready to go right now” if called upon. At age 41, Owens hasn’t appear in a regular season game since 2010, so I don’t expect we’ll see him draw interest from any teams.
- With the details of Corey Liuget‘s new contract with the Chargers now available, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap examines how the deal compares to Cameron Jordan‘s extension, and what it means for the 3-4 defensive end market.
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) believes that Demaryius Thomas, Julio Jones, A.J. Green will break the ceiling in the stagnant wide receiver market. They may all try to reach Calvin Johnson money though, and it remains to be seen whether they’ll do quite that well.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Latest On Evan Mathis
One of the league’s very best guards is now on the open market and teams are already circling the wagons. Which teams are in Evan Mathis and which clubs look like potential fits? Let’s find out..
- It’s not clear if Mathis has interest in the Bills, but the Bills are curious to find out, according to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (on Twitter). That union could make a lot of sense since Mathis blocked for running back LeSean McCoy for the last four years.
- Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter) hears the Cardinals aren’t interested in Mathis.
- The Dolphins, Patriots, and Seahawks all make sense for the 33-year-old, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). However, he cautions that Mathis’ price point will start to scare teams off if it gets to be too high.
- The Vikings might be a good fit for Mathis, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes. Two of the coaches who would work with Mathis the most — offensive line coach Jeff Davidson and head coach Mike Zimmer — are already familiar with him from previous stops. Meanwhile, the Vikings have $10MM+ in cap space for 2015.
- The Saints, who have a vacancy at guard after trading starter Ben Grubbs, have only ~$3.5MM of salary cap space available to pursue Mathis, Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune notes. Tight end Tim Wright, however, could be more in the Saints’ price range.
North Notes: Vikings, Gipson, Guion
To say that things have been rocky between the Vikings and star running back Adrian Peterson this offseason would be a criminal understatement. Still, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf says that he holds no animosity towards Peterson.
“He’s always had a good heart,” Wilf said of the former MVP, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “He’s a great football player. We have great memories, and we’ll continue to have good memories with him. … He’s been great for the community, and that’s basically who he is, and when you know that’s the character of that person, you believe in him.”
Peterson, of course, is pushing for a reworked contract that gives him guaranteed cash for the remaining three seasons – or at least the first two years – of his deal.
Let’s check in on a few more items from out of the NFL’s North divisions….
- The Browns could rescind Tashaun Gipson‘s restricted free agent tender next Monday, but head coach Mike Pettine wouldn’t comment today on whether or not that’s in the team’s plans, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal. If Cleveland does withdraw Gipson’s RFA offer, worth $2.356MM, the team could retain the safety’s rights by offering him a tender worth about $627K (110% of his 2014 salary).
- Pete Dougherty of the Press-Gazette feels that the Packers were right to re-sign Letroy Guion this offseason, but it’s now on the defensive tackle to stay away from marijuana. Guion was arrested with about two-thirds of a pound of pot, which could indicate a pretty serious problem. Guion, 27, had an effective first season with the Packers in 2014, starting all 16 games for the team and racking up 41 tackles to go along with 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
- Although the Ravens are saying all the right things about Arthur Brown publicly, it’s fair to wonder if this year is the linebacker’s last chance with the team, writes Bo Smolka of CSNBaltimore.com. I’d be somewhat surprised if Baltimore gave up on Brown this summer, but he has certainly been underwhelming since joining the club as a second-round pick in 2013.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Today’s minor moves..
- The Colts cut kicker Taylor Pontius, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Pontius was a member of the Colts’ rookie minicamp as a tryout player in May and signed a contract soon after.
- The Patriots announced that they have released rookie defensive back Eric Patterson. Patterson, 22, was signed by the Pats as a UDFA back in May. The Ball State product started in 28 of 41 games during his collegiate career and finished with 135 total tackles and six interceptions.
- The Vikings announced that they have signed free agent defensive tackle Chrishon Rose. Rose, who comes out of East Carolina, played in 13 games as a senior, posting 41 total tackles including 14 solo stops. Rose’s defensive unit held 18 opponents to 100 or less rushing yards in his four seasons at ECU.
- The Packers have signed tackle Vince Kowalski, a UDFA from Villanova, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The signing brings Green Bay to the full 90-man roster limit. Kowalski started all four seasons at Villanova and was named first-team in his conference last season.
- Rams sixth-round pick Bud Sasser went unclaimed off waivers and is now a free agent, Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets.
- Washington has signed tackle Bryce Quigley and cut quarterback Hutson Mason, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (on Twitter). Mason was serving as an extra arm behind Robert Griffin III, Colt McCoy, and Kirk Cousins in camp.
- Former Northern Arizona punter Andy Wilder, who went undrafted last spring, has been cut by the Buccaneers, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
- The Panthers will sign former Raiders tight end Scott Simonson to a one-year deal, a source tells Wilson (on Twitter).
NFC Links: Vereen, Foles, Cowboys, Vikings
It was presumably a tough decision for running back Shane Vereen to leave the Super Bowl-winning Patriots to join the Giants. The tough choice may have ultimately come down to the G-Men wanting the running back more, and the various recruiting calls, including one from Odell Beckham Jr., clearly left an impression with the 26-year-old.
“I asked around [about the Giants] with guys who played here, a couple guys in California I work out with, and previously I had met Odell [Beckham, Jr.],” Vereen said (via MMQB’s Jenny Vrentas). “So I hit them up, trying to talk to them and learn things I didn’t know. They filled me in.
“[Beckham Jr.] said it was a young team with a lot of talent. He loves it here, and he was excited for this upcoming season. That was really all I needed to hear. I love when guys are excited to be somewhere. That makes me want to be there and excited for the growth.”
Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFC…
- Nick Foles may have wore out his welcome with the Eagles, but the Rams are excited to have him. The receivers are especially thrilled, writes Chris Wesseling of NFL.com. Two top targets, Kenny Britt and Jared Cook, both expressed their enthusiasm for the new quarterback’s abilities.
- The running back position for the Cowboys is in flux, and Lance Dunbar will be fighting Ryan Williams for a spot on the roster again this season, according to Bob Sturm of DallasNews.com. Dunbar’s a limited player, but his abilities on special teams should give him the edge on Williams in terms of a roster spot.
- New Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer walked into a tough situation amid the ongoing feud between Adrian Peterson and the organization. However, has has handled it quite brilliantly, without looking like a puppet for management or sucking up to Peterson, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com. “A lot of it was … It was tough for Adrian. It was tough for the Vikings, as well. So trying to be fair to both sides was important,” Zimmer said. “I always want to support my players, and still do the best thing for our football team.”
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
NFC Notes: Hardy, Saints, Cowboys, Peterson
It’s not yet known when offseason acquisition Greg Hardy will be able to play for the Cowboys this year, but coach Jason Garrett is impressed with what he’s seen so far in practice, Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram writes. “He’s done a really good job,” Garrett said about Hardy’s work ethic. “Once we decided to sign him, we’ve certainly tried to embrace him in every way and he’s embraced the situation. He was here well before the off-season program got into full gear and guys were in the weight room and out on the field working and he embraced being a part of that once the off-season program started.” More from the NFC..
- Rita LeBlanc spent about eight hours on the witness stand Wednesday in the competency trial of Saints owner Tom Benson, as the staff at The Times-Picayune writes. LeBlanc was tabbed by her grandfather as his future successor until Benson announced in January that his third wife would be inheriting the Saints and the NBA’s Pelicans instead.
- Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee is back on the practice field one year after a knee injury wiped out his season and he’s confident that he’ll be good to go for training camp and the start of the season, David Moore of The Dallas Morning News writes.
- Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is cautiously optimistic about the team’s potential now that Adrian Peterson is back in the fold, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes.
Latest On Adrian Peterson
3:07pm: Speaking to reporters today in Minnesota, Zimmer said that the Vikings had no conversations about trading Peterson this offseason (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today). The former MVP himself also addressed the media. Here are a few highlights from his comments:
- Asked about his reported desire for a trade or to retire, and comments made by agent Ben Dogra, Peterson said Dogra was “doing his job” (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). For his part, Peterson insists he didn’t know what he wanted, tweets Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
- While he may not have known where he wanted to be earlier in the offseason, Peterson says he’s happy now being in Minnesota and being a Vikings, per Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune (Twitter link).
- “I’m definitely not the victim, and I haven’t tried to play the victim in this role,” Peterson said (Twitter link via Goessling). Some of his comments and actions earlier in the offseason make that a dubious statement.
- Peterson confirmed that Zimmer played a major role in getting him back to Minnesota. “Maybe even moreso than he knows,” the running back said (Twitter link via Vensel).
2:25pm: As we learned this morning that he would, Adrian Peterson returned to Minnesota and reported to the Vikings’ OTAs today for the first time this spring. At the time, reports indicated that, even though the running back was willing to get back on the field for the Vikes, his contract hadn’t been modified at all, and the two sides hadn’t even recently discussed a restructured deal.
Here are the latest updates on that contract situation, along with a note on Peterson’s participation in the club’s offseason program:
- A league source tells Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that Peterson hasn’t been given any assurances about his contract. However, Goessling expects something to eventually get done.
- Peterson’s attendance today won’t be a one-time thing — the 30-year-old will be at the rest of the club’s OTAs and the June minicamp, tweets Goessling. I expect Peterson to report to training camp as well, though perhaps that could hinge on whether or not the two sides have worked out a contract agreement by that point.
- Everything the Vikings have done with Peterson this offseason suggests they plan on keeping him around beyond the 2015 season, writes Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. As such, it makes sense for the team to address the running back’s contract soon to avoid having this same situation play out next year.
Adrian Peterson Reporting To OTAs
There will be an Adrian Peterson sighting in Minnesota, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who hears from the running back that he plans to rejoin the Vikings and attend the team’s OTAs, starting today. A source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) that Peterson “misses the game.”
“I decided to come back just to get around my teammates and the coaching staff,” Peterson told Anderson (TwitLonger link). “There’s never been any love lost with those guys. Basically it’s time for me to come in and test the waters and re-familiarize myself with our offense and the direction they’re trying to go in.”
Peterson, who missed nearly the entire 2014 season due to an investigation into possible child abuse, had yet to report to the Vikings this spring. Initially, it seemed as though he and agent Ben Dogra were pushing hard for a trade out of Minnesota, but after the draft came out and went without a deal, the running back and his agent appeared to be angling for a new contract, one that featured more guaranteed salary.
While Peterson would presumably still like to rework his deal to get some additional guaranteed money up front – and perhaps guarantee some or all of his 2016 salary as well – that remains just a wish for now, per Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, who tweets that there are no contract discussions taking place between the two sides at the moment. The 30-year-old is under contract for three more years, and is scheduled to earn a $12.75MM base salary this season.
Peterson’s contract did include a $250K workout bonus that he was only entitled to if he participated in all of Minnesota’s organized team activities, according to various reports. Although his absence from the first few OTAs meant Peterson forfeited that bonus, it’s possible the Vikings restore it as a show of good faith — that’s just my speculation, however.
According to both Albert Breer of NFL.com and Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (Twitter links), head coach Mike Zimmer played a significant role in mending fences with Peterson. The former MVP spoke to Anderson about his recent discussion with Zimmer (TwitLonger link):
“The conversation between Mike Zimmer and I went well. He was able to express what place [his comments that Peterson can “play for us or not play”] came from and I was able to listen. I was also able to express how I received that and we came to common ground about it. That was the end of it. I told him to tell the family I said hello and I’ll see you next week.”
NFC Notes: A. Smith, Hardy, R. Mathis
As we turn the calendar to June, let’s check out a few Monday morning items from across the NFC, starting with a contract update out of San Francisco….
- After restructuring his contract earlier this offseason, 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith is in line for a $200K roster bonus today, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com.
- Greg Hardy had a run-in with fellow defensive lineman Davon Coleman during a Cowboys’ practice in April, but the reviews on the former Panther have all been positive since then, writes Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. With players, coaches, and executives alike all praising Hardy, it doesn’t appear the Cowboys will have the same sort of buyers’ remorse the Bears did with Ray McDonald.
- Lions cornerback Rashean Mathis has been telling people that his current two-year contract will likely be his last NFL deal, but that isn’t a sure thing — coaches have told him he could extend his career at safety, notes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links).
- With June 1 having arrived, Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com takes a look at whether the time has come for the Cowboys to address Brandon Carr‘s contract.
- In his latest Monday Morning Quarterback column, Peter King of TheMMQB.com addresses the Adrian Peterson/Vikings standoff, the challenge that new Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is facing, and several other topics from around the league.
- Panthers wideout and return man Philly Brown will go by his given name, Corey Brown, during his second year in Carolina, as Pat James of the Charlotte Observer writes.
Zimmer, Peterson Relationship Still Strong
Earlier this week, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer issued what was widely perceived as an ultimatum to his embattled star running back, Adrian Peterson. Zimmer said simply, “He can play for us, or he can not play.” That brief but strong statement succinctly summarized the stance that Minnesota has taken throughout the entire Peterson saga, and it made it appear that the relationship between coach and player had soured.
But according to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com, that could not be farther from the truth. As Goessling writes, “it’s believed Peterson and Zimmer talked this week and smoothed things over following the comment, which stemmed more from Zimmer’s fatigue over the topic than any effort to issue Peterson an ultimatum.” Goessling goes on to say that although Peterson still has some reservations about returning to the Vikings, including COO Kevin Warren‘s role in putting Peterson on the commissioner’s exempt list last year, his relationship with Zimmer remains an asset to the club.
In fact, Zimmer’s statement was hardly news to Peterson, who apparently realizes that he is not going to talk his way into a trade, even if there were teams that would be willing to make a deal for him. As such, and as PFR’s Zach Links pointed out several days ago, Peterson’s decision to skip OTAs is based solely on his desire to get the Vikings to put their money where their mouth is and to give him a salary guarantee that reflects their words of support.
In the end, Goessling believes Peterson will suit up for the Vikings in the fall, and even though there has not been much progress towards a new salary guarantee at this point, some sort of compromise appears well within the realm of possibility. After all, as we heard just yesterday, most of the Vikings’ moves these days are being made with an eye towards 2016, when they move into a new stadium. If the team didn’t have plans for Peterson to be on the roster during that season, they wouldn’t even be bothering with him.