Adrian Peterson To Consider Pats Discount?
Pending free agent running back Adrian Peterson would “consider” taking a below-market deal in order to sign with the Patriots, a source tells Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald. Peterson will hit the open market on Thursday after the Vikings declined his 2017 option.
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The Patriots typically don’t pay running backs more than $2MM, as Guregian notes, but New England could be willing to up that figure in order to land a back of Peterson’s caliber. Given that they expect to lose LeGarrette Blount to free agency, the Patriots may be on the lookout for a bigger back, a role that Peterson could fill aptly. New England’s running back depth chart also includes Dion Lewis, James White, and D.J. Foster.
Since the Vikings’ announcement that they wouldn’t exercise Peterson’s option, most of the reports surrounding the future Hall of Famer have involved clubs’ lack of interest. The Buccaneers and Giants were though to be potential suitors, but neither is now expected to aggressively pursue Peterson. The Raiders, though, still stand as one logical destination for the 31-year-old running back.
Peterson, who was limited to only three games in 2016, ranks as PFR’s No. 32 free agent and No. 2 available running back.
Patriots Expect To Lose LeGarrette Blount
- The Patriots believe someone is going to make LeGarrette Blount an offer they won’t match, Robinson tweets. With that in mind, Robinson believes they are preparing for his departure. Blount stands as one of the better running backs available in free agency, but other big names will be out there including Adrian Peterson, Eddie Lacy, and Jamaal Charles.
Latest On QB Market
There are a lot of moving pieces in this year’s quarterback market, and the Patriots’ Jimmy Garoppolo, despite recent reports suggesting he would not be traded, remains the forefront of the discussion. Per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, New England is willing to deal Garoppolo, but the team has not yet received an offer approaching its asking price for Tom Brady‘s top backup. Howe writes that the current asking price is believed to be a first- and second-round draft pick, but the Patriots will not simply flip Garoppolo to the highest bidder. If the team is not “properly compensated,” they will not make a deal.
Meanwhile, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the Bills are not expected to retain Tyrod Taylor under his current contract (we heard several days ago that Buffalo was leaning against keeping Taylor, though there is a split among the club’s top decision-makers in that regard). Assuming Taylor does hit the open market, La Canfora expects the Browns to emerge as the front-runner for his services. Indeed, Taylor has strong ties to some members of the Browns staff already, and if Cleveland is able to acquire him, the club could use its two first-round selections on the best player available and would not have to reach for a quarterback or deal one (or both) picks for Garoppolo.
La Canfora also reports that the Bears have the strongest interest in Mike Glennon at the moment, and sources around the league believe Chicago will push hard to acquire him. The Bears also love Garoppolo, but they do not want to meet the Patriots’ asking price (all of that is consistent with reports that our Sam Robinson passed along last night). La Canfora projects Glennon, who turned down an $8MM/year offer from Tampa Bay, to receive an incentive-laden contract with an AAV of around $12MM.
Interestingly, Glennon has no official agent at this point, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. That’s significant because when the “legal tampering” period opens on Tuesday, teams can negotiate with agents representing free agents, but not with the free agents directly. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that teams with interest in Glennon are working under the assumption that David Dunn is his agent.
Cimini: Giants, Pats, Ravens Potential Fits For Brandon Marshall
- Rich Cimini of ESPN.com names the Giants, Patriots, and Ravens as three potential landing spots for the recently-released Brandon Marshall (Twitter link). We learned about the mutual interest between New England and Marshall yesterday.
Volin On Pats' FA Plans
- Although it is difficult, as usual, to pin down the Patriots‘ free agency plans, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe does his best, writing that the club is “taking a long look” at the tight end position but that Martellus Bennett could certainly be back, that the team is in the defensive end market now that Chris Long is gone and Jabaal Sheard appears unlikely to return, and that Logan Ryan is likely to price himself out of the Patriots’ price range. Volin names the Jaguars and Raiders as two teams with serious interest in Bennett.
Mutual Interest Between Patriots, Brandon Marshall?
The Patriots have been linked to multiple impact receivers during Combine week. In addition to including their No. 32 overall pick in a package for Brandin Cooks, mutual interest between the Pats and Brandon Marshall exists, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). The Jets cut Marshall earlier this week, a move Marshall sought after declining an extension to stay on a rebuilding team. Entering his 12th year and age-33 season, Marshall should generate interest, and the Patriots’ penchant for street free agents that don’t affect the compensatory pick formula makes this a potential situation to monitor. Marshall going 11 seasons without a playoff appearance does as well.
The Patriots have been linked to multiple impact receivers during Combine week. In addition to including their No. 32 overall pick in a package for Brandin Cooks, mutual interest between the Pats and Brandon Marshall exists, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). The Jets cut Marshall earlier this week, a move Marshall sought after declining an extension to stay on a rebuilding team. Entering his 12th year and age-33 season, Marshall should generate interest, and the Patriots’ penchant for street free agents that don’t affect the compensatory pick formula makes this a potential situation to monitor. Marshall going 11 seasons without a playoff appearance does as well.
New England has its top four wideouts under contract for 2017, although Danny Amendola‘s $7.7MM cap hit is probably untenable at this point. The Patriots want the veteran back at a reduced rate. Marshall also has a connection to the Patriots, who employ former Broncos HC Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator. However, McDaniels traded Marshall to the Dolphins in 2010 after one season with the then-mercurial wideout. During that ’09 slate, Marshall drew an insubordination suspension during the preseason and saw McDanniels bench him for a game later that year.
- Martellus Bennett wants to test the market, but the Patriots would like him to return. Their top competition could come from fellow AFCers, with the Raiders and Jaguars interested in the veteran tight end, Volin tweets. Jacksonville just unloaded underwhelming UFA signing Julius Thomas, and the Raiders haven’t seen much from Clive Walford yet. Former starter Mychal Rivera is a free agent. Bennett and Jared Cook reside as the top tight ends on the market.
Patriots Offer 32nd Pick For Brandin Cooks
Brandin Cooks has drawn a host of offers, but the Saints are aiming high if they’re to part with the 23-year-old wide receiver. Most notably, the Patriots have entered the equation. The defending Super Bowl champions offered their first-round pick (No. 32 overall) as part of a package for Cooks, NOLA.com’s Josh Katzenstein reports. But the reporter adds the Saints are targeting a mid-first-round selection for Cooks if they are to deal him.
Several other teams have made overtures to the Saints for Cooks, offering second-round picks for the fourth-year receiver, but the team is holding out. The Titans and Eagles are among the interested teams. Katzenstein notes at least five teams have contacted the Saints about Cooks. One of the unnamed franchises is hoping to give the Saints some defensive help to acquire the elusive wideout.
New Orleans is not operating as if it has to deal the wideout, though. He’s signed through 2017 and will be available on his rookie contract through ’18, provided the Saints or the team to which he’s traded predictably picks up his fifth-year option. Katzenstein notes Cooks’ agents could come into play in this deal. Ryan and Bruce Tollner represent the wideout. They are also the agents for Carson Wentz and Marcus Mariota, helping to explain the two initial suitors becoming known this week.
Bill Belichick offered praise for the then-second-year wideout in 2015, expressing relief his team doesn’t have to face Cooks annually.
The Eagles have had their eye on Cooks dating back to the 2014 draft, and Philly attempted to trade for him before the 2016 trade deadline. The Eagles hold the No. 14 pick in the first round after winning a Friday coin flip vs. the Colts, while the second of the Titans’ two first-rounders is the No. 18 pick. Those would fall within the realm of a mid-first-round selection. The Titans and Saints have already exchanged proposals regarding a potential deal, one that would have to be “real significant” if New Orleans is to part with its current top receiver.
The Saints now have both Willie Snead and Michael Thomas as emerging playmakers, with Thomas breaking out down the stretch of his rookie slate. But Cooks has compiled two 1,100-yard seasons and has scored 17 touchdowns in those campaigns. And he’s under contract in 2017 for just $1.56MM. A 2018 fifth-year option would stand to be worth around $8.5MM.
Obviously not averse to trading skill-position threats, the Saints have shipped out Darren Sproles, Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills in the past three years.
Patriots Interested In Paul Worrilow
- Falcons impending free agent linebacker Paul Worrilow has drawn interest from the Patriots, Lions, Eagles and Colts leading up to March 9, relays Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). The 26-year-old wasn’t much of a factor last season as a member of the NFC champions, with whom he collected one start and 18 tackles in 12 games. But Worrilow did garner significant playing time with the Falcons from 2013-15, when he logged 47 appearances, 42 starts and made between 95 and 143 tackles in each season. Worrilow also totaled four sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions during that three-year span.
Bears To Meet With Brian Hoyer’s Reps
With Jay Cutler on the outs and no clear starting quarterback in place for 2017, the Bears are likely to meet with representatives for impending free agent Brian Hoyer this weekend, according to John Mullin of CSN Chicago. However, the club’s interest in Hoyer is only “lukewarm,” as it views him as a Plan C option. Instead of bringing back Hoyer, the Bears would prefer to emerge from the offseason having traded for Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo or signed Buccaneers backup Mike Glennon, writes Mullin.
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Chicago’s desire to land Garoppolo or Glennon isn’t exactly a surprise. However, for his part, the 31-year-old Hoyer logged far more playing time than either last season and was fairly effective. All told, Hoyer completed 67 percent of his 200 passes, averaged 7.2 yards per attempt and threw six touchdowns against no interceptions in six games. Five of those appearances were starts for Hoyer, who took over for an injured Cutler and looked primed to grab the job for good before suffering a season-ending broken left arm in a Week 6 loss to the Packers.
While the Bears wouldn’t prioritize drafting a quarterback if they were to add either Garoppolo or Glennon, that wouldn’t be the case with Hoyer, notes Mullin. Hoyer would likely serve as a bridge starter for the Bears, who are set to pick third and 36th overall in the first two rounds of the draft and could conceivably choose a QB with either selection.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Patriots Release Sebastian Vollmer
The Patriots have released Sebastian Vollmer, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Vollmer, 33 this summer, continues to struggle with hip issues. 
Vollmer was originally set for free agency following the 2016 season, but his contract tolled after he spent the year on the PUP list. The Pats could have held on to him for 2017, but they are cutting him loose instead.
Vollmer, was a mainstay at tackle for New England from 2009 through 2015. However, his performance slipped in 2015 and 2016 was a lost year for him. In ’15, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 42nd-best tackle out of 77 qualified players. Last summer, the Patriots passed on discussing an extension with him because of his injury woes and time unfortunately proved them right.
Before his step back in 2015, Vollmer consistently ranked as one of the better tackles in the NFL by PFF’s measure. During that time, he never dipped lower than the top-3o range and placed as high as top ten in the league.
Personally, I have Vollmer as one of the ten best tackles available this offseason, but slotted behind the likes of Andrew Whitworth, Ricky Wagner Russell Okung, Kelvin Beachum, Riley Reiff, Ryan Clady, and Austin Pasztor.
News of Vollmer’s release was first reported by Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter).